POWER!
by witchlover
Summary: A sequel to Through Different Worlds.5 girls discover their powers and learn they are the new Guardians of the Veil!Meanwhile,Phobos finds his long lost kids whose own destiny is to capture the Heart of Candracar...by getting to the Keeper...R&R!
1. Prologue

Yay! I have been hinting about this story on my other stories and on my bio page and it's finally here! (I know that this wasn't supposed to come out until after 'Through Different Worlds' was over, but I can post the first 3 chaps(fanfiction outline)without ruining either stories. I also felt like I had to repay everybody for not being able to update 'Worlds' in like a month because of issues I am having so this will be up along with the 1st chap soon.) Phoebe and Onalia are returning to our deminsion after venturing through a magical mirror to Heatherfield, and Will and Irma have returned as well. This is a sequel so if you don't know what I'm talking about, read thefirststory that I have written called 'Through Different Worlds' and catch up if you really want to read this story about the new Guardians in our world right now…and about Phobos's mysterious kids…. **Check out the girls' bios on my profile page before reading! Well, only if you want to know about each of the girls like their personality, look, Guardian outfit, etc. It might really help. (I didn't feel like putting it all on the first chapter because I feel that it makes it boring because I hate having to read those before going on to the rest of the story. It's really your choice.) ;) **

**Note: Since I can only post those chaps while I'm still working on 'Through Different Worlds', I will not be able to update any further until that story is done which may be a while. Just hold tight for the rest of the story and I promise, you won't be sorry you did. This is going to be unlike any other new generation story. Enjoy!**

Phoebe, Onalia, Wei, Eva, and Rachel- The new Guardians of the Veil!

P.O.W.E.R.- The New Guardians Unite!

**Prologue- Where It All Began**

_**Thirteen years ago. Phobos had a plan.**_

_**All was ruined when Elyon's nanny took her through the Veil, using his Seal. **_

_**Phobos was angry, the city felt his wrath.**_

_**All the energy and power flowing through this land would be stolen.**_

_**People would suffer without the food, water, and shelter that would soon be taken from them. Everywhere, people would be frightened to do anything to displease the prince, or else suffer a terrible fate.**_

_**Thirteen years ago. Phobos's soldiers advanced through Meridian.**_

_**Houses were burning, children were screaming.**_

_**The soldiers marched forward, looking for anyone with information. Phobos was beaten.**_

_**He couldn't cross through the Veil to get his sister.**_

_**No one knew what had happened, no one could say.**_

_**Men came out and started to fight the soldiers to protect their families.**_

_**Battles were braking out everywhere.**_

_**Phobos knew that he could do nothing else until the Veil was torn.**_

**_Thirteen years ago…_**

Phobos walked through the barren streets of Meridian. There was still a hint of smoke in the air and the clashing of swords sounded in the distance. Phobos spread his arms out wide and the ground shook. He felt power surging through him. The skies got darker, the color was being drained from this world. Phobos breathed in all the energy he was taking out of Meridian. Things were starting to look hopeless for the city. If he couldn't have his sister, he at least was going to have Meridian in his power, until the Veil would tear, and Elyon would be brought back to him. Everything was going to be his!

Phobos could taste the people's fear and confusement. Anger, frustration, emotions were running high, and he felt them with every step he took. He would live to feel their pain, to know their desperation. Not that he would care, he wasn't planning on doing anything to stop it. Feeding off their power, off their energy, would be imensely satisfying. At least, for the moment…

He kept walking with his eyes closed. Breathing in, he let the power guide him. There was so much power, and none of it would belong to anybody else, no one.

He almost tripped over something and cursed. Something had almost made him fall on his beautiful face in his moment of power and glory. He intended on destroying whatever it was and started looking around his feet. It wasn't long before a wailing sound came from a bundle of wrapped blankets about a foot away from him. Phobos frowned and walked up to the bundle curiously.

It was a baby girl. She was crying and squirming in the blankets. Phobos had had enough of that racket. He was going to shut her up for good. Once he raised his hand that was shimmering with magic, the baby stopped crying suddenly. Her wide brown eyes were looking up at him with curiousity.

"Dada?" she whispered in a high voice. Phobos was sure that it was the infant's first word and was appalled and raged that she'd think such a thing.

"I am not your father, child!" he spat while raising his hand again. She kept staring at him quizzingly with her deep brown eyes.

"Phobos?" she said quietly. Phobos looked at her with a strange look on his face. How did she know my name, he wondered. She's just a baby. The girl's parents were either dead or would be soon since they were most likely in the battles away from this place, probably to protect her too. Phobos picked the baby up and looked hard at her coldly. The baby yawned and closed her eyes as she snuggled deeper into her bundle of blankets.

Phobos started to think hard about his descission. Hmm, he thought. I could use her. She could help me and be trained in combat. When it is possible to go to Earth, she could bring Elyon to me! And when the Oracle anoints more pesky Guardians to defend the Veil, she could capture the Heart of Candracar as well! Phobos smiled and looked around. No one would ever know.

He cradled the baby and went back to his castle. Little did he know that a small boy was hiding around the corner, watching him take his sister away. The boy stepped out from behind the building and watched his baby sister being taken from him. He didn't know what to do. He knew that he needed to get back to his sister.

"Phobos." The two year old whispered softly before looking ahead at the walking man in the distance.

Phobos kept walking with a joy inside him that no one could stifle. In his castle, Phobos would not leave, but stay there forever and isolate himself from the people of Meridian. When at his throne, he put his thumb apon the girl and felt some power hum through his hands into her. She wiggled a little but then was still.

"Yes." Phobos said gleefully. "You will grow and use your power for evil, you will use it to serve me." He looked back down at the sleeping infant in his arms.

"My daughter."

* * *

Yes, I know 'wow'. I'm not exactly sure how old Elyon was before she was taken away to Earth through the Veil, but I'm guessing it was between a couple of months after she was born, or to where she was around one year old. (If anybody knows just say so in a review. Maybe I need to read the books again…) The baby girl was born around the same time Elyon was, and she just turned fourteen, which will totally be explained in later chapters. The little boy who was her brother is around a year older than the baby girl and will be fifteen now. Believe me, them and their history will be explained throughout the story. If anybody thought that the baby girl with the 'wide brown eyes' was Will, then I'd have to tell you no, that wasn't her. Anyway, in the next chapter, I'll show everybody what happened a year ago when Phoebe first moved here(note that this will be a 2 part chapter.)And in the third, we get back to the actual story where Phoebe and Onalia and Will and Irma finally pass back through the mirror into their own worlds,after a painful goodbye. What will happen now? 


	2. The Year Before Part One

Okay! I'm back again with the first part of the first chap of my new generation of Guardians story! Well, also known as P.OW.E.R. Sorry for the long wait. As some may already know, I've had big complications with my computer at my mom's house(Which still aren't fixed!) and then I couldn't figure out how to get the chaps over to my dad's house(even more complications with that since I'm used to using floppys and we didn't have any cds at the moment to save the chaps on.) Anyway, here is the chap and I'll probably finish the 2nd part over the holidays. Ugh! I still have to go study in a little bit. I hate exams...

_**We are not friends because of the laughs we spend but the tears we save.**_

_**I don't want to be near you for the thoughts we share but the words we never have to speak.**_

_**I will never miss you because of what we do but what we are together.**_

_**Nikki Giovanni "A Poem of Friendship"**_

**Chapter 1: The Year Before Part One**

Great, here we go again. Phoebe rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Another year, another new life." she whispered under her breath. Phoebe longed to stretch her legs from their long car ride. She leaned against the car door and pressed her face against the cold glass of the window. It was very dark outside, with only some street lights and the stars and moon above giving off light. Houses were passing by her vision fast as they started driving through the streets of a neighborhood. Phoebe pulled away from the window to glance up at the time in the car. Almost Midnight, Phoebe groaned.

"Mom! You know you could have planned this a bit better. Today is a school day!" Phoebe could barely see her mother rub her tired eyes and then hold onto the steering wheel.

"I know, honey. But that's why I told you to get plenty of sleep on the road. Is Justin still asleep?" Missi answered.

Phoebe glanced to the left of the backseat and saw her brother covered in blankets and pillows. His eyes were shut and he was breathing heavily.

"Yes." Phoebe told her mom grumpily. "What about Dad? What about my friends?" Phoebe saw her mom's kind face look back at her with sympathy. She pulled her blonde hair back and stared at her as she slowed the car down.

"I know you didn't want to move again. It was hard for me to tear you away too, but I think everything will be better here. This is a nice neighborhood. The Junior High and High School are right next to each other even…."

Phoebe let her go on and on without really paying attention. Of course she never really knew how it felt. Phoebe hated the feeling of starting over. Just when she was getting used to someplace, either her mom or dad moved. It was torture to leave everything behind, never truly getting to connect with friends because she knew she would have to leave them the next year…

And which school is this? Phoebe counted in her mind. Cradd Jr. High, hmm…I think that's school #9, and then there's the high school, which will be #10. Oh, she was dreading it already!

"Hey. I'm sure you'll make great new friends and everything. You'll see. Oh, here we are."

Phoebe looked out the window again and saw a beautiful two story house with a white-rock arch over the door. Black shutters outlined the windows and her mother was beaming with pride.

"Were you telling me the truth when you said you bought it? You know you will have to sell it again before the end of the year." Phoebe half joked. Her mom threw her a dirty look before unbuckling her seatbelt and shaking Justin awake.

"All our stuff should be at the house now so just go right in to bed before you have to go to school. And no, you can't skip school Justin. What is the date again, Phoebe? I have to start my new job on the 21st." she asked while Justin yawned and started to blink his eyes wearily. Phoebe looked back at the clock.

"It's midnight, so I guess it will be January 19th." Phoebe answered dully. Missi clapped her hands with happiness.

"Well, I guess we can celebrate today five years from now so I can prove you wrong." She said slyly with a joking look in Phoebe's direction. Phoebe stepped out of the car and stretched. She breathed in the cool air and sighed again.

"I'll be inside in a minute." Phoebe called to her mother and brother who were making their way into the house. She trudged into the grass and sat down. Taking a deep refreshing breath, she looked around at her new neighborhood as the trees rustled in the cool breeze. She held her blanket from the trip a little tighter around her in the cold, but she didn't feel like going in. Not just yet anyway.

"I wonder what will happen tomorrow." Phoebe whispered, trailing a finger in the grass as she hugged her knees. "I have a feeling that things won't be so easy."

She looked up and gasped at the brightness of all the stars. They're so beautiful, Phoebe thought with awe. They're so clear! This must be a special day… Her thoughts went back to her old friends and life she had left behind to start a whole new one. And everything would start all over again later that morning when she would have to go to school, which she was now seriously dreading. Why couldn't she just stay and sit on the grass and think peacefully under the stars? Instead, she would have to go to her first day at Cradd Jr. High.

"I hate school." She muttered.

* * *

"I hate school." Onalia groaned. A pillow was held tightly over her head as she rolled over to block out the sunlight that was, at the moment, streaming out her window. Loud clangs of pots were sounding from the kitchen and Ona could smell something delicious wafting through to her under the covers. Her stomach rumbled, but she didn't move an inch. Her mother was using food as bait to get her up and ready for school, but Onalia knew all too well not to give her that satisfaction. No, I'm going to stay under the covers and save myself from being tortured for seven hours in that jailhouse some call School, Ona told herself. She felt the winter air come and take over the warmth that she had felt so cozy in before someone had yanked the covers off of her body.

"Get up miss Sleeping Beauty. Or should I say Sleeping 'Ugly', you've really got some bad hair in the morning."

Ona groaned. She yawned and looked back at her older brother. His short blonde hair was spiked up on his head and he stared jokingly back at her with his playful blue eyes, lighter than hers were though.

"I'd rather be ugly if I can sleep in." Ona retorted as she grabbed the blanket from his hands and yanked it back over her. "I hate school." She moaned again. She could barely see him move toward her head closely with a smirk.

"Hate school? It's only your first year of Junior High. You just have another semester to go. Anyway, it can't be as tough as High School."

Ona felt the covers fly off her again. She reached forward to grab them back, but her brother took them completely off the bed and raised his eyebrows.

"Now get up, or Katie is gonna hit you with one of her waterbaloons that she is sneaking up the stairs with. And unless you would rather dry your hair and everything else you girls do-" Onalia jumped out of the bed.

"Just get out of my room, Max, so I can get ready, okay?" He shrugged his shoulders and made his way down the stairs. Max paused for a moment, and then went to inform their mother that Ona was up. Onalia sighed and pulled on some jeans with a purple hoody and ran to the bathroom to finish getting ready. She quickly brushed her teeth and her hair before she made two short braids and started to walk down the stairs.

Ona had a weird feeling that someone was following her. She peered around the stair rail curiously. A little girl suddenly jumped in front of her with a sneer.

"Hehe! I got a water balloon. It's huge and you can't get away from it!" Ona's eyes went wide with surprise and panic. What was she going to do! I know she isn't going to hit me with that, she thought nervously. I just did my hair and I'll have to change!

"This will teach you not to throw me in the pool when it's cold outside" Katie cried. Ona stared at the bulging balloon in her hand with a gulp and thinking quickly that her best option might be to dodge it. 7 year old girls aren't that good at target practice, right? Before Ona could come up with a better plan, something surprising happened. The balloon burst in Katie's hands, sending water splashing over her front.

"Moooommmm! I'm all wet! Ona got me wet!" she shouted.

"I did not!" Onalia cried behind her back angrily as she dashed down the stairs and hopped on the bottom. She glanced back at her sister's long dripping blonde hair and the tears in her eyes as she ran down behind her. Something else stirred in Ona's mind before she quickly shrugged it off and sat at the table to eat. _Did_ she really burst it like Katie thought she had? Ona rolled her eyes and smiled at how all those cartoons and books were getting to her. Maybe she had just thought that because she fell asleep while watching 'Charmed' last night.

"Oh Katie. Why are you all wet? I told you not to mess around with those water balloons…"

Onalia was almost done eating when she looked at the clock and almost choked. Sixteen minutes! Sixteen minutes until school started! Ona didn't really care about being late to class; she was already used to that. But she wanted to leave the house before her dad could get home and lecture her about her math and history grades. There wasn't any time to waste!

"See ya folks!" She called out, grabbing her jacket and counting her money for lunch. She threw her jacket on and grabbed her backpack after slipping her hands into some gloves and was out the door.

She shivered a bit and walked past trees and houses on the sidewalk. It was chilly and she rubbed her hands together before letting out a relieved sigh at having escaped her family. The only down part was that she was going to have to go to school. Couldn't she leave the family every day to go to the mall? As she slowly made her way toward the school, a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Geez! Where are all the signposts to this school?"

Ona looked up and saw a brunet girl in light blue jeans and a green jacket spinning around in bewilderment and frustration. She must be new here, Ona thought. She walked up to the confused girl to help her out.

"It's that way." Ona said, pointing to the right. The girl spun around and looked at Ona with surprise.

"Huh?" Her head moved in the direction of Onalia's outstretched hand and the light dawned on her. "Oh, so it's that way?" Ona nodded with a smile. The girl gave her a shy smile back in return.

"My name is Onalia by the way. I like to be called Ona though." Ona proudly introduced herself. The brunet smiled shyly again.

"Um, I'm Phoebe."

Cool! This encounter would probably be the highlight of her day! She seemed like she was nice enough, and Ona knew that Phoebe would be grateful for someone to show her around on her first day of school. She decided that she should help her out.

"Hey, I'll help you get there. How old are you?" Ona asked. Phoebe's shoulders relaxed a little and she answered calmly.

"Thirteen."

"Me too! When did you get here?" Ona knew she sounded a little too energetic and questionable, but she didn't think that Phoebe really minded.

"Uh, actually, it was early this morning." Phoebe answered again. When Ona's eyes opened wide with shock, she shook her head with a fake laugh.

"Don't ask. So how is this school? Is it terrible? Should I go back in my house and hide under the covers and sleep forever?" Phoebe asked worryingly. Ona laughed.

"It's not that bad." Ona said, but in the back of her mind, she remembered wanting to do just what Phoebe had suggested. "It's not fun either. I mean, come on, it _is_ school." Phoebe shrugged and followed Ona as she turned to walk across the street to get on the school sidewalk. She fell into a step next to her.

"So, what's your first class? We have to have a class together!" Ona asked excitedly as Phoebe dug into her bag.

"Hmm, I have Science with Miss Davis." Onalia's eyes practically popped out at how much all of this was fitting together perfectly. They compared their schedules and found that they had three other classes together. The opening bell rang and the girls walked with the rest of the sleepy crowd of 7th and 8th graders into the building.

"So, we both love to read and listen to music. Too bad we both aren't in the band, but I have another friend, Wei, who's in orchestra. She's a big know it all but she's nice enough, when she's not being super serious." Ona said with a roll of her eyes. They walked into the classroom and placed their books on one of the tables and sat down. Ona looked up as Eva walked into the classroom. Her brown braids spun around as she snapped back in Ona's direction with shock.

"Oh, hi Eva!" Onalia said brightly. It was a few seconds before she realized that Eva wasn't staring at her, but to her right. Ona turned and saw Phoebe and nearly slapped her head.

"Well, I'm stupid! Eva, this is-"

"Phoebe!" Eva suddenly exclaimed with surprise. Phoebe looked at Eva again with disbelief.

"Eva!" Ona's eyes squinted together with confusion.

"Wait a second. Do you two _know_ each other?"

* * *

Eva could barely believe that Phoebe was standing there in the same room with her! She looked a lot like Eva had remembered. Her hair was longer and she had of course gotten taller, but her eyes and slouchy style of jeans told her that it was definitely her friend. Eva walked slowly as Phoebe ran over and gave her a tight hug.

"Oh my gosh! I thought I'd never see you again! I didn't think I'd ever see _anyone_ again. What are you doing here?" Phoebe asked excitedly.

Wow, Eva thought as she gazed over Phoebe quizzingly. She was acting like she had been kidnapped and taken hostage from having any human contact. Exactly how many schools had she been to this time?

"I just came at the beginning of the year." Eva answered. Phoebe smiled again and so did Eva. It was like she had a long lost twin sister and then a couple years later, had discovered her. It really was a great feeling.

"Can someone please explain what's going on here?"

Eva turned her head and saw Ona's eyes furrowed with confusion. She glanced at Phoebe again and answered.

"Well, we used to know each other. We were best friends at the beginning of second grade and had a great time through fourth grade."

"Until I had to move for like the billionth time at the end of that year." Phoebe cut in with a frown. "I guess we just weren't up to the challenge of keeping in touch. It's been three years…you look so different Eva!"

Eva kind of shrugged. I'm not sure if I'm that different, she thought. I've gotten older and more mature. Ona just looked at them both with a grin and threw her arms over both of their shoulders.

"Well, I guess since we all know each other, we can invite her to sit with us at lunch and meet the rest of the girls, huh Eva?"

Eva started to think of everything the two of them had done in the past. Would she love to have her in her life again?

"Sure. That would be cool." She responded. Miss Davis came in and Eva ran to her seat at a table as Phoebe ran to sit with Ona after Miss Davis introduced her to the class. Lisa leaned in toward her and whispered.

"Who was that that you just hugged? Do you know the new girl?"

Eva wondered about how her group of friends might change. It hopefully wouldn't get too complicated with just one more person added to it. And besides, Eva just now started to remember how much she had missed Phoebe. Great times were in the past. What wonderful things were to happen in the future?

"Al, she was a long lost friend."

* * *

"I'm telling you! Mr. Henson wears a wig!" Erika exclaimed.

"Well we don't know for sure. You can't just accuse people of being bald, Erika."

"Well then Miss-smarty-pants. Why don't you test that theory, Wei. I dare you to 'accidentally' pull his hair and see if it comes off." Erika responded with a sneaky glare.

"Oh please! You are so horrible Erika!" Rachel laughed as she playfully hit her in the shoulder. Erika shrugged and took a quick glance at the teacher walking down the aisle before taking a bite out of her hamburger.

Rachel giggled again. Lunch was the best place to talk, especially since you don't have to worry about getting caught passing notes, like during class, to get a conversation moving. She popped a fry in her mouth and ran over all of the things she had done in classes so far aloud.

"Well, I don't have any homework in English or History. But Coach Cayden told me this morning that I made the track team! Someone top that!"

"Oh big whoop." Erika said boredly, giving Rachel a secret smile. Rachel knew Erika too well to take her seriously. The girl had a thing for saying sarcastic remarks as much as Ona told jokes and stories. Anything she said she hardly ever really meant, unless she was looking very serious. Wei didn't even look up from her noodles and didn't really notice Erika's smile.

"Oh, quit being such a sore loser. I'm happy for you Rachel." Wei said, grabbing another bite to eat. Rachel beamed and started looking up at the lunch line and scanning the cafeteria.

"Where's Ona and Eva? I don't see them anywhere." Erika looked up and scanned the area too.

"Yeah me- oh wait. There they are. They're by the salad bar." Erika answered. Rachel nodded and waved them over. Her eyebrows went up a little curiously as she saw another girl with long, wavy hair and jeans with a red, long sleeved shirt running up behind them. Wei suddenly looked up too.

"Who's that?" she asked, but neither of them could answer. The three girls finally made it to the table and Eva sat down next to Wei while Ona stayed standing to make an introduction.

"Hey you guys! Girls, this is Phoebe Whitfield. She just came here this morning." Rachel nodded and smiled warmly.

"Phoebe, this is Erika, the sarcastic one with the long blonde hair, Wei, the annoying know it all, I mean one with super long black hair and braces, and Rachel, the curly redhead who basically flies by on the track." Ona told her as an enforcement of each of their personalities. Rachel was about to stick her tounge out or something, but decided to hold it while Phoebe was here. They both sat down with their food and the chatting started all over again.

"So Phoebe, do you like Cradd so far?" Erika asked as she took a sip of her juice. Phoebe nodded.

"Yeah, actually I have. I don't know what I would have done if Ona hadn't have even helped me find the school!" They both smiled at each other and Rachel smiled too. Phoebe seemed really nice! She just knew that it would be fun to have another friend to hang around with. Now, they seemed like pairs of two in the little gang. Her and Erika, Wei and Eva, and Ona and Phoebe!

"Did you know that Phoebe and Eva used to know each other? They used to be friends until fourth grade!" Ona exclaimed, always the one happy to blurt out a story.

"Really? Wow!" Rachel said. Wei looked at Eva and nodded.

"I remember about you now. Eva told me all about all her friends as she was reading her old journals at her house about two weeks ago. It was all good stuff though."

"So we were all going to go get ice cream later. Do you want to come with us?" Onalia asked Phoebe. Phoebe seemed shocked and lost for words.

"Come on, you know she wants to." Erika replied with another of her sly grins. Phoebe turned red and then grinned herself.

"Sure. I'd like that."

Rachel smiled at her and stole some of Erika's fries. Today was going to be great! Rachel glanced around at her five friends and sighed with happiness. It looked like this was going to be a very beautiful friendship!


	3. The Year Before Part Two

Hey! I've been writing and I finally got the second part done!(I just started and finished this the day before (yesterday after volunteering for a nearby church.)There might be one little fact concerning Erika that might confuse some people, but it is more understandable once I get the last chap of Through Different Worlds up. This will also be the last chap I can post until I finish that story because the next chapters are a continuation of the adventures of Phoebe, Onalia, Wei, Eva, and Rachel. And of course, I couldn't make this story without having the W.i.t.c.h. girls show up, so they will definitely be in later chapters. (I've got it all planned out.) Enjoy the second part of chapter one!

**Chapter 1: The Year Before Part Two**

Wei's POV

_3 months later…_

Eva was calling Wei's name for the tenth time, but she hardly even noticed. Where have I been, Wei wondered as she ran to catch up with her friend who had just entered yet another shoe store. Something feels weird with me; I feel a little…off today.

"Well it's about time you got here!" Eva cried with exasperation. "Come back down to earth and help me pick out something." Wei shook her head of the dizziness and sighed.

"Didn't you already get some new shoes yesterday?" Wei asked boredly. She was dragged into another store with tons of racks of clothes cluttering a large room full of bustling people doing their spring shopping and leaned against a counter as Eva started rummaging through some tops.

"The answer to your question is yes. Do I have to buy some more? Yes. And besides, I'm not looking for me. Today's Phoebe's birthday." Eva replied, moving onto another rack.

Wei almost smacked herself in the head. Of course she had remembered yesterday! It was on her mental check list of things to remember that she had made the night before. She never usually forgot anything. She just didn't seem herself today, a fact that Eva was quick to notice.

"Are you okay? You don't seem so alive today. Did something happen? Is your baby brother sick?" Wei almost laughed and shrugged it off.

"Nah, Fai is fine. Nothing's really wrong, I just feel kind of…weird I should say. Do you feel any different?" Wei asked. Eva didn't even look up as she answered.

"Well, I could say that the grass is greener and the trees are dancing in the wind." Eva snickered. "Hey, it's finally getting warmer! Maybe that's why something feels different. Ooh! Look at this one!" Eva dragged a cute top out with a pair of jeans that were curved and faded in all the perfect places. Wei nodded with a smile.

"That's perfect. Now let's go wrap it up and give it to her when she has her party tonight. She'll love them." Wei said with a sigh of relief that her shop-aholic friend had only taken two hours.

"She better like them, for as much as that was…"

Wei relaxed a little bit as they walked out of the mall doors and into the sunlight. She always felt a little bit better in front of a flaming fire or in the warm sunlight. Eva took a breath of fresh air and walked forward confidently with shopping bags swinging slightly in her hands.

"About what you said earlier, something strange has been going around today, but I'm sure it will pass. I just hope we aren't getting the feeling that something bad is going to happen." Eva said with a slight catch in her voice. Wei shook her head.

"No, it feels like something wonderful, something life changing! Okay, I guess that was a bit much." Wei admitted to her own comment. Eva shrugged and stared at birds flying above toward a giant tree.

"Who knows. Maybe we will have the best time of our lives at Phoebe's place. She'll probably get a really great present!" Eva said with a wink. Wei grinned again and watched the birds circle each other above their heads and off into the sunlight.

* * *

Erika trudged along the sidewalk with her hands in her pockets and her head bent down toward her feet as her mind was spinning with wonder. There was something in the air today. Was it the wonderful feeling of spring, excitement in the air from parties, a mystery that still hung in the air, unsolved and secretly yearning for someone to unravel it?

"Today is so boring. If I weren't going to Phoebe's party tonight, I'd probably go sleep the day away." She yawned and blinked her eyes tiredly. She had a nightmare last night. Phobos was in it. Anger shot through Erika at the thought of Phobos even trying to harm this world, the world she grew up in. Phobos had found out a long time ago about this other Earth after Cedric saw a former Guardian, Amelia, go through a mirror to here. And now, she knew that he was anxiously waiting for the time when the mirror would open, as did she. But his plans were for him to invade and take over this place.

Erika sighed and kicked a pebble along the sidewalk. It will be hard for him to take over the other earth. That one has the Oracle to watch over it. That one will soon have new Guardians to watch over it, or they already do. Erika wasn't really sure. But what does this place have, she wondered as her head moved in the direction of some high school kids driving in a convertible down the street. We don't have anything but a mirror that can't be opened until its heir is ready. That is the only gateway to this world. Candracar wasn't even in control of this place! That's why they sent me here, to wait and act as a normal teenage girl until my duty is to protect the new Guardians, if there ever were any. Everything was supposed to start in a year, because that was the end of the seven year promise the Oracle had given her when they sent her through the mirror as a little girl, trained as a warrior to protect this place from evil. If Something bad happened on the journey ahead, Erika was afraid that their only hope for protection would be lost, forever.

Her thoughts kept wondering back to earlier in January when Phoebe first came to this city. Erika had been thinking, a lot actually. The girl that was supposed to inherit the magic mirror soon was named Phoebe. When Erika had first left Candracar, she was told all of this information and to watch out for any dangers that might come someday. Then, seven years later, along comes the new girl. It isn't a coincidence, Erika told herself firmly. It has to be her. I wish I could tell her what's going to happen later, but she would think I was crazy and it would ruin everything.

"At least something will happen today that will someday lead to the mirror being opened for the first time after seven years." Erika whispered.

"I don't know what it is, and I don't know what will happen in the future, but I know that this place will never be boring again." Erika smiled.

"No, never again."

* * *

Phoebe rolled her eyes and started grinning uncontrollably. Ona had been making her laugh all day and wasn't giving up for a single second. They had been at her house planning the night and decorating and looking around corners for Phoebe's mom so one of them could take a peek at the presents. It had been nonstop fun and bonding!

She giggled again as Ona linked elbows with her and led her through the door goofily.

"Stop it Ona. The whole store must be watching you."

"Let them watch. I'll also let them know that they can get autographs later after we're done shopping." Ona responded with a sarcastic grin. Phoebe looked around at all the colorful books lining in rows on many shelves. Comfy looking chairs were spread in circles around tables, perfect for leaning back and getting lost in a book. Ona smiled with pride.

"Isn't this great! You told me you loved to read, so I brought you to the nearest Barnes and Noble. I already have a gift for you, but go pick out a book as another little thing from me."

Phoebe looked back at her with gratitude. They had come a long way from looking at each other's schedules and trying to get to know each other. They had quickly become friends after Ona helped Phoebe around on her first day of school, and now, their friendship kept growing more and more every day. Phoebe felt that even only knowing her for a few months, Ona's bright round face and short blonde hair, and her shining blue eyes, always wide when she is telling a story had become so familiar to her. They could never be anywhere without each other!

"Any book?" Phoebe asked with curious eyes at the many shelves.

"Any book." Onalia confirmed. "As long as it's under ten bucks cause that's all I have left in my purse after eating out for lunch."

The girls walked and flipped through many pages of different books without finding anything that Phoebe really wanted. They finally reach the end of the store where the kids section was and went in. Many of the wonderful literature masterpieces of C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, and classics that many could never put down lined one aisle of shelves. They walked down until Ona tugged at Phoebe's shirt.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing to a colorful cardboard stand with what appeared to be books inside it. Phoebe squinted her eyes and shook her head.

"I don't know. I'm going to go check it out."

The girls interestedly hurried forward until they were in front of the thing that had caught their eye. Five beautiful girls wearing purple and green outfits with striped leggings and wings were around the stand with six books settled inside of it. Phoebe instantly got excited when she saw the title.

"W.i.t.c.h.! What a cool name! So do you think it's about a group of witches or what?"

"I don't know. Harry Potter was good enough, but you can't judge a book by it's cover." Ona replied. Phoebe wasn't sure if she agreed with that entirely since it was the beautiful art that had drawn her in that direction in the first place.

"It looks like a good series." Phoebe said. She reached to pick up the first book. It was pink and had five girls under the title 'W.i.t.c.h..' The two in the back were of a sassy looking brunet and an Asian with goggles on top of her head. The next two were of a girl with long blonde hair and an African American with beads covering part of her hair. In the middle was a smiling red head with a glowing crystal dangling from her hand. Phoebe grasped the book in her hands and she felt tingles of happiness being pumped through her body. She had finally made a connection!

"W.i.t.c.h….I'm going to get this." She announced. Ona smiled and grabbed it to take to the cashier.

"Good choice. Maybe I'll read it after you if it's any good." Onalia said as the guy at the counter slid the book and the receipt into a bag and handed it to them. Ona gave it to Phoebe and she took it out of the bag to look at it again. They walked out the doors with a whole new thrill to think about.

"Hey! You still have your party too! Tonight's gonna be a blast! Happy 14th birthday, Phoebe!" Phoebe laughed and hugged Ona with gratefulness.

"Thank you so much! You have no clue how much everything you have done has meant to me." Phoebe told her. Ona shrugged it of with a sweet smile.

"It's really okay. What are best friends for?"

In that moment that the two girls exchanged glances, Phoebe felt that for once, moving had been a good thing. It had led her to a wonderful place where she had friends and a life she never imagined she could ever have. Zings of the happiest feeling that Phoebe had ever experienced coursed through her, elating her head and filling her heart with energy. Yes, she was feeling as if she had waited fourteen years for this moment, for her to be walking side by side with a great friend, and for her to be walking out into the afternoon sunlight with 'The Power of Five' clutched dearly in her hands. Just like this book, Phoebe wondered what her story would be, and if it would unfold with her having a nice life with her new friends. Or possibly, something even better.

* * *

Well, I hope you liked that! That's actually how I found out about W.i.t.c.h. with my step sis who Ona is basically based on. It was also perfect how I made Phoebe's b-day in April and didn't think of the possibility that that was when the first W.i.t.c.h. books came out last year until a little later. So now, people who haven't read Through Different Worlds can go back and see what happens next months later. Then, the story continues with the second chapter as the five girls reunite after their journey to Heatherfield! There's another secret that is burning in the heart of someone…but who is it? Send reviews and be sure to check the progress of my other story! See ya! 


	4. United Again

I'm finally back with another chapter! I just finished Through Different Worlds, and my little present along with it was to give the next chapter of this story! I can't wait to really get this story moving, because I think it will be as good, if not better, than Whispers From the Past! P.o.w.e.r. will be mixed up with magical adventure, suspense, action, and even a little bit of romance. And of course, the cliffys you guys tend to love! (hehe) The girls are finally reunited after going through the mirror, fulfilling a promise, and the mysterious 'Heart of Candracar fiasco' between Will and Phoebe (see Through Different Worlds) and are now back in their world...where a magical destiny awaits them...

Oh and sorry for not putting this up earlier.

**Disclaimer: I don't own W.I.T.C.H. or any of its characters. I do however own Phoebe, Ona, Wei, Eva, Rachel, Erika, the magic mirror and ring of secrets, and any other things or characters you see in this story that aren't from W.i.t.c.h.**

Now then, more of P.o.w.e.r.!

**Chapter 2: United Again**

(1 year later)

Ona's POV

"Whhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" Onalia screamed as she tumbled to the ground. She lifted her face from the hard floor and smiled in the familiar surrounding of books.

"Wow! I can't believe we're finally back home! Phoebe?" Ona said. She looked around before something collided into her, knocking Ona back to the ground again.

"Whoa! Oh! Sorry, Ona."

Phoebe slid off of her back and Ona finally managed to stand up straight. Her eyes wandered over to all of the broken shelves and torn books everywhere. It certainly would take a while to fix this place up again.

"Well, it looks like this place will need some work." Phoebe said, fingering the shards of a splintered bookshelf. Onalia nodded and sighed. She reached over and hugged her friend tight with happiness.

"I can't believe we're finally back! There's no place like home!" Phoebe struggled to breathe and laughed a little when Ona released her from the bear hug.

"Alright, Dorothy. Do you mind telling me where the scarecrow, tin man, and lion went off to?"

Onalia stood up and stretched. She motioned for Phoebe to follow her, but Phoebe was staring at the mirror, clutching her hand.

"I just can't believe we're not going back. It's all over, we got to fight with W.i.t.c.h..." Ona walked forward and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I know how you feel, but we have to go. The Oracle needs the mirror for something and the others are waiting for us somewhere. But, you could always see them again, can't you?" Ona asked softly. Phoebe sighed and walked after Ona as she started heading for the doors out of the bookstore.

"Yeah, I just hope the Oracle can close the mirror without me." Phoebe said as Ona opened the door.

Her eyes traveled up and down the street. She shivered as the harsh wind beat against her arms and she wished she had worn her coat before going through the mirror. Phoebe stepped out of the doors behind her and rubbed her hands together.

"Geez! It's freezing! Oh, there they are."

Ona's view turned to where Phoebe was pointing and she noticed Rachel waving for them to come to where they were sitting on a bench at the park nearby across the street. Ona walked as fast as she could, thinking it would take them forever to reach their friends. She finally was standing in front of them and nobody said a word. Eva, Rachel, and Wei were smiling up at them and Ona found herself smiling back. It seemed a long time since they were back home, where things would return to normal. Eva's mouth parted as she glanced at Ona and Phoebe.

"Welcome back." she said happily.

"It's good to be back." Onalia answered.

"Hey, okay. I bet we all want to know what we all just went through. How about we go to my house?" Wei asked as Rachel hopped off the top of the bench next to Eva. "I'll make hot chocolate?"

"Ooh, I'm there!" Ona yelled. Everybody laughed and got up and started walking. This was going to be a very _long_ story, but Onalia was up to it. If that means I can finally hang out with all my friends and talk about all the adventures we just had, then I would be willing to stay up all night, she thought.

"Well," Phoebe started. "It all began that day when Eva and Rachel were home from school. When Ona and I went into Barnes and Noble to study untill a thunderstorm came. When we found that magic mirror..."

* * *

Little did Onalia know that somebody was watching them leave and recount their precious tale. A girl had just fallen through the mirror and bit her lip as she saw them walking together, not knowing what was to come.

"But Phoebe might." Erika whispered. "She knows." She got up and quietly started walking away.

"It's up to me to protect them since the Oracle can't watch them in this paralle deminsion. I need to make sure that they learn about their destiny and follow through with their mission. They need to protect this world and many other worlds from knowing evil, but evil is now crawling through this very city...hiding." Erika glanced around the corner quickly to make sure that a monster really wouldn't pop out at her. She had powers, but she would only need to use them in the aid of the Guardians or for self defense.

"I wonder what's going to happen now." she whispered. Erika looked back at the bookstore once again and walked on in her troubled thoughts.

"As bad as things seem now, I have a feeling that things are going to get worse. Much worse."

* * *

Phobos landed gracefully on the hard carpet in a place filled with many books. He looked behind him quickly to see if he had really escaped from Candracar. There was no trace of the mirror. He couldn't hear their cries of frustration. He was free!

"Well done, son! Well done." he addressed the boy standing next to him. He shrugged and looked around out the windows.

"Thanks, now what do you plan to do now that we're here? You do have a plan don't you?" the boy asked.

"Ah, yes in fact." Phobos said gleefully. "But- what the?" His eyes caught something. A book...the girls looked familiar.

"That can't be." he whispered as he grabbed the small book and flipped through the pages. The Guardians of Candracar were in here, and Elyon, and Cedric, and..himself.

"What is the meaning of this? I am way better looking than this picture in this book!" he cried. His mind started turning.

"It looks like this world had already known about us." Phobos whispered thoughtfully. "That's why those girls knew about me. They had read it in a book! They weren' special at all!"

"But they are." the teenager reminded him. "They are the new Chosen Ones, you saw it yourself." Phobos rubbed his chin and nodded.

"Yes, I did, and now it's time to put my plan into action. Find Cedric. I will need him to track down your sister. But tell him to be careful, there's a protector from Candracar who may get in our way, so be sure to look out for her." Phobos chuckeled. The boy stared at him angrily.

"Why him? He won't get the job done. She's my sister, I will look for her!"

"You will do as I say! And besides, I have another mission for you." Phobos told him. He crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, what? I'm not playing a babysitter or doing some little girl stuff." Phobos smiled at him.

"You will find the Keeper. Get close to her and get the Heart of Candracar and the ring." The boy stared up at him.

"You're kidding, right?"

"It is most important, and the easiest way to get what I want. I will not let the same mistakes be made that we did with the Guardians of Heatherfield. We must try new approaches in order to defeat them." The boy nodded and grinned.

"Don't worry, I'll do it slyly then. I will find a disguise and nobody will ever know that it is me." he said. Phobos nodded with a mad grin.

"Good. And you and Cedric may need to work together sooner than you think. The Guardians don't know they have powers yet, and it will be easy to crush them before they have a chance to dicover them." The boy started running away out the doors with the last words that he would be quick. Phobos walked out the doors too with a new feeling of complete power in his unfailable plan. The new Guardians seemed so weak, but he knew better than to underestimate them.

He pictured the five girls, the one with the flaming red curly hair, that African American girl with the braided hair, the Asian one with braces, the blonde who talked too much, and the girl with the Heart of Candracar inside of her, the decendant of Amelia. He couldn't wait for all of their power to be his!

"Yes, the Guardians will be destroyed, before they ever have a chance to win."

* * *

Okay, I was only able to finish this today because I missed the bus(I'm so mad because it passed right by me and came early) and had to stay home today, which will probably make me grounded or something and definitely fall behind in math, but I can't do anything about it now. I might have finished it after school today anyway so you would have gotten this chapter today or tomorrow. I'll have chapter 3 up in around a week. Please review ! 


	5. Life As They Knew It

Alright, here we are again with another new chapter of P.o.w.e.r.! The girls are off for Winter Break and get invited to a Christmas party! Keep reading.

**Chapter 3: Life As They Knew It**

Wei's POV

"Ahh, it's nice to finally be off of school and it's about to be Christmas. I missed just being able to go outside and relax in the park." Rachel sighed as she stretched on the crowd of benches that her and her four friends were lazily occupying.

"Speak for yourself, Rachel. I miss it already. And it's freezing out here!" Wei cried, rubbing her hands together. Eva and Phoebe rolled their eyes and continued talking about Eva's crush. Ona was busy sitting on the grass and swirling leaves in the lake that was positioned in the very center of Trenton Park. Wei tightened her jacket and swore under her breath that she wouldn't come back out here until it was April.

"Oh, lighten up, Wei. You're always thinking of schoolwork. Try to be normal for a change." Onalia said boredly. Wei snapped back in Ona's direction. Rachel shook her head at them and then laid back down on her bench.

"Well that means a lot coming from you." Wei sniffed.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I'm just saying-"

"Knock it off you guys." Phoebe told them with an exasperated sigh. "You guys never give up, do you?"

"Nope." Wei said flatly.

"Not a chance." Ona responded. She turned back to look at the water and Wei had the sudden urge to stick her tongue out, and she might have too if she was like, five.

"Anyways, I'm so glad I didn't have to take that History test." said Ona with a grin. Eva smirked back at her.

"Well, you'd better thank Irma then, for making that, that thing..." Eva looked away and pretended to be humming a song instead of answering. Wei felt a bit uncomfortable too. It was so weird talking about magic, about all of the adventures they had just had. It had been a couple of days now since they had walked back out of the mirror. The girls had talked all night about everything. Wei could remember how strange and weird it felt to her to have to sit through a conversation that she had never dreamed would ever happen. Wei scrunched up her eyes to block out the memory. Phoebe had been acting very strange though...

But they hadn't talked about anything that had to do with those girls, those Guardians if that's what they were called, since that night, a fact that Eva and Wei herself had tried to point out. Ona argued about not being able to talk about it, but Phoebe and Rachel finally agreed. It was a lot of excitement, not to mention dangerous, but we need to move on with our lives and not dwell on the fact that we saw, magic, Wei told herself sternly. We need to return back to the life as we know it, the one without all this weird magic, the one before a magic mirror took two of our friends to another world...

Wei could clearly remember that day. Phoebe, Ona, and herself had just gotten out of History class and walked out of the school, happy for the weekend. Well, almost happy, she reminded herself. Ona had been mad about studying for this huge test over the weekend. Wei, of course, didn't think it was a big deal, so she went home to study for it. My father is strict about my grades, and I am sometimes very relieved that he is because the hard work pays off, Wei thought happily. I quickly left so I could study and actually get some free time later on a Friday, maybe to relax by the fire and read a book, and of course to get away from Ona and Phoebe who had been talking about 'those books', W.i.t.c.h.

Ona and Phoebe had become hooked on 'those books' ever since they saw a display of them at Barnes and Noble over a year ago when Onalia took Phoebe shopping for a book on her birthday. They started talking about them and anxiously waited for more books every month or so. It wasn't long before they found out that a TV show of it was coming out and they'd chat on aim during it about how 'totally cool!' it seemed to be. Suddenly, Wei started getting sick of all their constant talk of magic, and Harry Potter, and those five elemental fairies who were in charge of protecting the world. Puh-lease!

Then, Ona and Phoebe had gone to Barnes and Noble to study for the test when a thunderstorm came and locked them in. They were in the mood for a little adventure and decided to take their flashlights and tour around the books. There, they found the most amazing thing. There was a strange mirror that only showed the W.i.t.c.h. books! The two girls suddenly found themselves being pulled through the mirror and into another world, where they supposedly ended up in Heatherfield with three of the five Guardians of the Veil: Cornelia, Taranee, and Hay Lin.

The other two, Will and Irma, came into our world and were very scared to see books about themselves right in front of them! They also found a weird inscription on the mirror that was decidedly meant for Phoebe. And then who did those two girls happen to meet just a few seconds later, Wei thought dryly. That would be me and Rachel, wandering the bookstore looking for Ona and Phoebe. Will and Irma must have figured that they could help them and tracked them down to show that they had magical powers! Naturally, Wei ran away, but Rachel stayed to help them figure out how to get home. Rachel found Eva and soon convinced Wei to help. Wei didn't think it would be long before they cracked this mystery, no matter how strange it was.

Wei had later learned that Phoebe, Ona, and the other Guardians were trying to figure everything out as well, and their adventure was quite a story to tell. All five of them had heard a mysterious voice calling to them for the girls to journey to Carver Caves, which had been blacked and protected by magic for a hundred years. They hitched a ride there and risked their lives in an avalanche of rocks, but they made it inside safely. They started to walk together through a dark tunnel until something unsuspected happened: the Guardians lost their powers! Nobody had a clue of what was going on, but they decided to continue. Before they could take another step however, something knocked them back and hitting the tunnel floor far behind. Everyone had been knocked away by some invisible barrier, except for Phoebe that is. She continued to walk alone toward the voice that was calling her while everyone else stayed behind.

And that's, Wei recalled, where Cedric, the lizard man, snuck up on the four girls, took Ona, and knocked out Cornelia, sending her and the other Guardians flying out of the tunnel. Taranee continued to be the only one dodging his attacks, but it turned out that Cedric hadn't come for the Guardians, not yet anyway. He had come for Onalia and Phoebe!

During all of this, Phoebe slowly walked on through the dark and scary tunnel by herself. She was curious at finding a secret room and crawled through it. There, she found something that would have scared any person out of their minds and send them running back through the tunnel, a full human skeleton. Phoebe was scared at first, but then became strangely curious, especially at the bright, ruby ring on the skeleton woman's finger. The skeleton had stepped into a beam of light and turned into a beautiful woman, Amelia, who introduced herself as a representative of Candracar, a former Keeper of the Heart of Candracar, and...her great, great grandmother! Amelia told her history to Phoebe, including that she was the one who made the magic mirror and the ring in her hands.Amelia explained to her that she was now the keeper of the Ring of Secrets, which opened a doorway to which she could travel through dimensions and the many worlds in the universe.

When Phoebe went back through the tunnel, she was surprised to discover that a trap had been set up for her and Cedric knocked her out and took her and Ona to Phobos. There, he tried to get confessions out of them, but when he saw that Phoebe had the Ring of Secrets, he tried to grab it. In the panic, Phoebe accidentally opened the mirror and Phobos sent all kinds of gruesome creatures and soldiers to meet Will, Irma, Eva, Rachel, and Wei at the bookshop in the girls' city. The girls beat their way through them and got through the mirror and freed their friends in time to close the mirror.

All seemed well, until Phobos came back, ready for a battle. Will teleported the other three Guardians there and they became W.i.t.c.h.! With everyone working together, they were able to defeat Phobos and send him to Candracar.

The Oracle announced that their mission had been completed and that they could return home. Wei was only too happy to do so and quickly said goodbye while Phoebe and Ona lingered behind to say goodbye to Will and Irma. Wei knew that Will had talked to Phoebe, and she had been wondering what had happened. Ever since she got back, Phoebe has seemed just a little distant...like she was hiding something...

"Wei! Hello? We've only called your name ten times!" Phoebe's voice broke her train of thoughts.

"Oh, right, sorry." she said as she blushed. She didn't like to be seen with vacant expressions, if she ever had them, and she certainly didn't like not knowing what was going on.

"Um, did I miss something?"

"Only that I asked who you were wanting to ask out for the Christmas party." Eva answered with a slight look of amusement.

"No one." Wei answered automatically. Eva's hands went to her head and Phoebe giggled.

"I guess we win then!" Rachel said happily. She got up and started stretching her legs and jogged in place for a few seconds.

"No dates Eva. We go as friends together."

"And would that include me too?" Ona slightly fell into the water with shock as Erika came up behind her and spoke.

"Don't do that Erika!" Ona exclaimed, wringing the water from her jacket. Phoebe got up and tried to help her as Ona leaned over and was squishing the water out of her clothes. Erika smiled apologetically and sat next to Wei on the benches.

"Of course it'll include you!" Phoebe laughed. "Unless you're going with someone."

"Of course not." Erika answered quickly. Rachel laughed softly and turned her face upward and closed her eyes, breathing in the cool air rushing along her face. Wei leaned back and sighed. Cold or not, Rachel was right, it was relaxing to be out here and just chill, literally. Eva went back into her love trance of hoping that Jordan had a crush on her too. Erika whispered something to Rachel, who was leaning her back against the bench they were sitting on and she nudged Wei with her elbow.

"Speaking of crushes, look who's here."

Wei followed Erika's view and gasped.

"Oh boy, here comes Brandon." Wei said out loud, trying to control her laughter.

"What?" Phoebe yelled. She spun around and accidentally hit Ona who went flailing into the water again. Wei couldn't hold in her laughter anymore as Onalia spit out a mouthful of water and stared at Phoebe angrily.

"Thanks a lot Phoebe!" she 'accidentally' pulled Phoebe's leg and she gasped with surprise as her own face went splashing into the water.

"Ona! What did you do that for? He's coming this way!" Phoebe yelled. Ona looked over to three teens walking toward them and she turned back to Phoebe.

"Oh my gosh! I didn't know! We have to hurry up and get out of here and we might be able to hide behind that tree unless he sees you there and asks why you're all wet and starts a catastrophe on your part and you will-"

"Quit blabbering and help her!" Erika yelled desperately. Ona tried to pull Phoebe up, but they both slipped and fell back into the water.

"My butt is freezing! Get over here and help us, Wei, if you're going to sit there and laugh like a lunatic!" Ona yelled. Wei stopped laughing and ran to help Phoebe and Ona up. They stepped out of the shallow water dripping wet, right as two boys and a girl came in front of all of them.

"Oh boy." Wei whispered yet again.

In front of them was the most popular and rich girl in school, who was also good friends with Eva. Her layered brownish-reddish medium length hair gleamed and her clothes spoke complete fashion sense. One good perk about Lisa(who they all called Al) was that she was actually really nice, although just a little self-centered as you normally would be in her state, and invited all of both the Jr. High and High School to her parties, which no one ever turned down.

Next to her were two really cute boys. One was Phoebe's crush, Brandon, whom she had liked since her third day of school last year when they were assigned to work on an English assignment together. His curly brown hair and warm brown eyes seemed to always melt Phoebe on the spot, well, if she already didn't look like she was melting away by being covered by water.

"Oh my," Al said, covering her mouth in a startled expression. "What happened to them, Eva?" Eva folded her arms and shook her head with a small laugh.

"They pushed each other into the lake."

"It's not funny." Phoebe said in a mortified whisper. They hadn't had time to escape before Brandon closed in on them.

"Hey Phoebe." he said with a sweet smile. Oh no, she's melting again, Wei noticed. She slapped Phoebe on the back and she gulped in a big breath and answered back in a high voice.

"Hey!"

Well, it was better than nothing.

"Well, I came to give you girls an invitation for the Christmas party tonight. I know I usually do it on a Friday, but today's Christams Eve so my parents thought, why not today! Security is tighter this year so you have to have an invite to get in." Al added with a proud smile. "You guys didn't forget, did you?"

"Nope." said Rachel.

"Never slipped our minds." Eva answered. Wei felt a little guilty. She hadn't even really thought about it much until just today.

"Well that's good, I hope you're ready to sing, Eva. The whole school has been begging me to give you the mike." Al said with a wink.

"Uh, thanks." Eva whispered with a slight pink in her cheeks.

"Oh wait. You guys haven't met my cousin from England have you?" Brandon said he pushed an embarrassed guy in front of him and got ready for an introduction.

"Girls, this is Evan, he's been going to the High School for a couple months now. I've only just had time to introduce him."

"What's got you so busy?" Erika asked curiously.

"Oh, a little this and that." Brandon answered a little too lightly. Erika cast him a puzzling look before shaking her head. Wei looked at Evan and knew that he was totally the average high school hottie. He had shaggy dirty blond hair and crystal blue eyes, and a shy but gentle smile that showed you that he wasn't full of himself.

"Hi," he answered in response to Brandon's introduction and gave a slight wave of his hand. He had a soothing English accent. "Isn't it a bit cold to be swimming?" he asked as he looked over Phoebe and Ona.

"Well we...um, yeah it is," Phoebe blushed with embarrassment. Evan shrugged and continued to be pushed by Brandon telling him all of the things he had to see in the city. The boys waved back and disappeared with Al handing them out red envelopes and adjusting the red box with green ribbon she held in her left arm.

"Here are the invitations you need to get in. The party starts at seven and ends at eleven, it's Christmas Eve so we can't hold the party past midnight. There will be plenty of refreshments and music, but don't forget to dress in the Christmas spirit!" The girls all nodded and looked over the envelopes as Lisa gave the last one to Erika and held out the red box for them to see.

"Secret Santa! Don't get gifts to your receiver over twenty dollars, my mom's idea. Pick out of the box! Wei, you first."

Wei dug her hand into the box and pulled out a small slip of paper. She unfolded it and read in Al's tidy scrawl 'Onalia Johnson'.

"Perfect," Wei breathed. What could she possibly get Ona before the party tonight?

"Well, see you later! I've got to go help the crew add the last minute touches to the decorating!" Al smiled and walked away, holding the Secret Santa box in her hands. Eva jumped up and grabbed Wei's watch to look at the time. She yelped.

"To the mall!" she announced. Phoebe came over and looked at the time.

"What's the rush? We still have five hours."

Wei shook her head as Eva quickly said goodbye to the other girls and began to drag her along on the grass. She could hear the others talk excitedly about the party before thinking about what Eva was doing and to go shopping for a gift for their secret santas and possibly buy some new clothes and lip gloss.

"We'll call each other later and talk before the party, right?" Phoebe called out.

"Sure thing, Phoebe!" Eva yelled back.

Wei sighed happily as she let Eva guide her toward her favorite stores. They hadn't heard about the mirror or the 'other world' in a while, no more magic had happened since Will and Irma had left, and things actually started to be normal again! This made Wei enormously happy as she walked alongside Eva as she stopped to try out a new lip gloss flavor.

And after all, they were going to Al's annual Christmas party, where dancing and drinking soda while talking and laughing with her friends was going to be the first time in a couple of days where she truly had fun! And not to mention that tomorrow was Christmas! Wei couldn't wait. This was going to be the best party ever!

* * *

Goodness, that must have been a long one. My Internet was, once again, not working, so I couldn't post this when I finished it, on Tuesday(although I wouldn't have anyway because that's a little to soon to put it up I thought.) I stayed home (again!) that day cause I got pink eye and they made me go home. What's really sad is that I'm starting to miss school and I'm tired of having to catch up with classes. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chap and look forward for the next one, coming around my usual time. Phoebe discovers she truly has the Heart of Candracar...and that someone's out to steal it! Review as usual please! 


	6. Second Thoughts

Here is the next chapter. It's a lot of Phoebe, but everyone will be at the party in the chap after this one.****

Chapter Four: Second Thoughts

Phoebe's POV

"Okay," Phoebe muttered irritably. "I am seriously regretting telling everyone to call before the party."

She picked up the phone for like, the millionth time that day, and talked into it boredly.

"Yes, Eva?"

"Phoebe! Glad you answered, but how'd you know it was me?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because this is your sixth time calling in the past hour?" Phoebe answered with a roll of her eyes, but she couldn't conceal her grin.

"Oh yeah, well, anyways. Do you think I should wear those red strap sandals with my new dress, you know the red one that is-"

"Perfect for you, I've heard." Phoebe answered, seemingly enjoying playing with Eva's head when she was desperately calling for advice.

"I don't know, do whatever. I'm not the fashion expert. Bye."

"Well _thanks, _your help has done _a lot_ for me." said Eva sarcastically and with a little hurt reflected in her voice.

"You're welcome, glad I could help." Phoebe said cheerfully as she hung up the phone.

"Whew! Remind me not to agree to a party ever again, Mia." Phoebe sighed as she sat on her bed to scratch the grey little kitten's ears. "There's too much chaos."

Phoebe unwrapped the towel around her head and walked into her bathroom to dry her hair. The curling iron was turned on, the radio was playing all the hits to Kiss FM, and Phoebe was walking into her closet to look for something to wear.

"Ugh! Just perfect! I hate looking for clothes; I can't ever find what I want."

Riiiiiiinnnnnnngggg!

Phoebe gave another defeated sigh and scrambled over her bed to reach the blue phone on her nightstand, trying to dodge the many books, papers, and clothes scattering her floor.

Uh, I really need to clean this room before I get grounded, Phoebe reminded herself before she finally managed to grasp the wireless.

"Hello?"

"Hey! Are you almost ready?" came Onalia's excited voice. Phoebe fingered her wild and frizzy hair and the pink robe around her.

"Uh, not quite." she answered lamely.

"Okay. Well, who's your Secret Santa?"

"Ona." Phoebe groaned.

"Come on! It can' hurt. Mine's Brandon Anderson." she said. Phoebe's face reddened and she knew that Ona must be laughing on the other end of the line silently.

"Um, yeah. Okay." she answered, trying to seem like it wasn't a big deal. "I got Samantha Ward."

"Ooh, Wei's not gonna like that!" There was a beeping in on the phone and Phoebe pressed the flash button.

"Yes?"

"Oh God, this is bad. I just heard that they aren't making any more W.i.t.c.h. books!" Rachel exclaimed.

Phoebe, who had been holding up a green shirt up to her chest and holding the phone between her shoulder and ear, dropped it in surprise and it went crashing into her foot. She hopped up and down with pain for a few seconds and then regained herself enough to bend down and pick up the phone.

"Huh?"

"Hehe! Gotcha!" Rachel giggled.

"Oh _ha ha, _very funny. Oh shoot! I forgot that Ona was on the other line. Hang on a sec." She went back to Onalia who was singing at the top of her voice "Phooooeeeebbbeeee!"

"Shut up already! I'm back. Ugh! Let me connect all of us and put you and Rachel on speaker phone. You guys are driving me crazy today."

"Well, thank you, Onalia at your service." said Ona with a flourish. Phoebe could picture her goofy friend giving a slight bow and chuckled. She pressed some buttons on the phone and put it back on the charger right as she could hear Rachel and Ona babbling stupid things to each other on the other end.

"Well if you two don't mind, I need to find something to wear."

"Okay! Tootles! I hope you-oh my God, that's strange." Ona's voice rang out. Phoebe paused on her way to the closet and turned around.

"What is it?" Rachel yelled from the phone.

"It's the water! It just, it- I've gotta go."

And in a second, Ona clicked off the phone. Phoebe could feel her heart racing and her mind twisted in puzzlement.

"Well, my dad will kill me if I ring up the phone bill tonight. See ya at the party Phoebe!"

"Yeah...see ya." she responded softly. After Rachel hung up, Phoebe felt the emptiness of the room haunt her. She sat down on the bed again and Mia started meowing pitifully.

"I know." Phoebe answered as if reading the cat's mind. "What am I supposed to do?"

Mia jumped off the bed and Phoebe rubbed her forehead from the constant thumping that was etching into her brain.

What's wrong with me, Phoebe wondered. I've been feeling really strange ever since I got back from Heatherfield, and what's worse is that my friends have started to notice it too...

Phoebe's mind flashed. Phoebe took Will's hand and they were lifted up in the air in a blinding light. Stars opened up above them...the most wonderful and powerful feeling...they fell back to the ground and the Heart of Candracar started flowing back to Will's hand...and something else was going into hers...

"YOU ARE READY."

"Phoebe?"

Phoebe's reverie broke and she snapped back to the present. Someone was knocking on her door. She jumped off her bed and answered it to see her brother, Justin, standing outside.

"Mom wants to know if you're doing alright." he said with his goofy smile. Phoebe looked her brother up and down and sighed.

"Do you really have to wear that? We're going to Al's party."

"So, I'll look how I want to look." he answered. Phoebe sighed. She had been dreading being back in school with her little brother. Last year, her single wonderfully free year, he wasn't there. Now he was in 7th grade at her Jr. High and seemed to get on her nerves a little more than usual.

"Tell mom I'm fine, but I can't find anything to wear, and apparently, neither can you." Phoebe sneered.

"Tell me what?" Missi said as she came up the stairs putting dirty laundry into a plastic basket. She looked up at Justin and Phoebe arguing in the doorway and bent back to the floor to pick up one of the shirts she had dropped.

"Go change."

"But Mom!" Justin retorted. All it took was the look on his mother's face to hurry into his bedroom and look for another clean shirt. Phoebe snickered before her mom turned onto her.

"Why aren't you even dressed yet? The party starts in less thanan hour." Missi exclaimed, looking at her watch and leveling the basket of clothes on her hip. Phoebe gulped and started to get a little anxious.

"I would be if I had any clothes to wear!" Phoebe said frustratedly. Missi seemed to be pondering something before she smiled and her eyes brightened.

"I have just the thing." She responded as she started down the stairs. Not knowing what else to do, Phoebe followed her. Missi led Phoebe to her closet. Phoebe looked at her curiously as she rummaged through the variety of clothes jammed tightly together and hanging upon hangers. She finally seemed to have found what she was searching for and pulled out a bag. She walked out of the closet and laid the bag on her bed and unzipped it, pulling out a dress.

It was a simple, silky white dress with spaghetti straps and a trimming design around the waist.

Phoebe's eyes bugged out and she smiled.

"That's perfect, Mom! It's Christmasy enough, the color of snow. Thanks!" Missi smiled and zipped the bag back up.

"Be careful, that dress is special. Now hurry up and finish getting ready. I'm leaving with or without you in forty five minutes."

Phoebe nodded and started racing out the room and toward the stairs. She hopped up and felt oddly light. After all, she hadn't wanted to go to the party in the first place, but there was no way that her friends would let her sit home all day and stay on the computer or something. They would drag her to the high school, where Al was holding the party, and not let her live her charade of trying to skip it down. She could just imagine their laughing. Besides, Phoebe thought as she closed her bedroom door behind her and hurriedly stepped into the dress her mom had given her. I feel like I've been isolated from my friends. Being stuck with Phobos has made me able to enjoy anything, well, just about anything...

The white dress fell over her head with ease. Phoebe loved the smooth feeling of it flowing at her knees and how it felt light at the touch. Phoebe was never one for wearing dresses, but this one rocked!

The phone rang again, and Phoebe could hear Justin yelling angrily about not getting to talk to anyone. She rushed to the phone, dodging the zoo that was her room, and pressed the speaker button.

"Hey! Look, I'm sorry I ran out on you guys earlier." Ona's voice rang out. Phoebe walked to the bathroom to brush her hair and threw a comment over her shoulder.

"No problem, just hope everything's alright." Phoebe called out. She grabbed the curling iron and easily and quickly curled her hair with an adding of hairspray as Ona talked.

"So the water just leaped out of the tub?" Phoebe asked as she sat down on her bed in shock.

"You're not kidding me, are you?"

"No." Ona responded in an exasperated sigh. "You don't believe me, do you?"

Phoebe looked ahead of her into her mirror. She touched the ruby ring, glistening on her finger. She was in control of the gateway to the rest of the entire universe! Surely she could believe anything.

"Um, yes I do." she responded quickly, happy of her answer even if it was weird. Phoebe threw things around in her room as Ona was talking on.

"Ugh! Where are those stupid shoes? Oh here they ar-ahhhhhh!"

Phoebe tripped over her viola and fell forward. She braced herself to hit the carpet and closed her eyes, only to feel what was beneath her hands was unmistakeably grass.

Phoebe opened her eyes and lifted her head slowly with her mouth slightly a gape. She wasn't in her room anymore. She wasn't even sure if she was in her city anymore! She stood up on her wobbling legs and looked around of where she was standing barefoot in the swaying grass. There was a mist in the air, but Phoebe could still see the full moon and many sparkling stars above her clearly. A night's breeze came tumbling through the air and swayed Phoebe's curly hair and white dress around gently while the moving grass tickled her ankles.

"Where am I?" Phoebe whispered as she took a few steps forward. She blinked as some blank, white eyes formed in the mist in front of her. Phoebe took a startled step back with fear.

"You won't survive here." a whisper echoed. Leaves from trees nearby and the grass moved so violently that all Phoebe could hear for a moment was the swooshing sound of them.

"You can't live!" the something whispered again. Phoebe looked ahead where the eyes vanished from her sight. She composed herself and answered back bravely.

"Wanna bet?"

Phoebe took off in a sprint and ran right through the mist. Her shaky breaths caught up to her and she walked a little more without seeing. It was a few seconds before she saw a tall figure ahead of her heavingup and down, a person, it looked like. She slowly stepped out to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" she asked. The man stopped and straightened himself. He turned around and grabbed Phoebe's wrist, leaning near her face so she could see him clearer, and what she saw filled her with fear.

"You have something I want." Phobos sneered. Phoebe shook her hand around, desperately trying to get out of his grip.

"I thought I settled this already! You can't get my ring!' Phoebe yelled. Phobos just squinted his eyes and smiled.

"Oh, it's not only the ring I want."

"What? Ah!"

Without a warning, Phobos let go. Phoebe was falling, falling into darkness. She couldn't see anything. There was no light to save her from falling deeper into the blackness of night.

'You'll be wonderful, Phoebe.'

'Give me the Heart of Candracar, Guardian!'

'It chose you too.'

'Phoebe, Onalia, Wei, Eva, and Rachel!'

'The new Guardians of the Veil!'

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Phoebe screamed as her hands reached above her to grab something, anything to stop her from falling into this endless pit of darkness. Voices, there are too many voices, Phoebe yelled in her head as she closed her eyes and felt the horrible presence of something overcrowding her and stealing away her mind. People whispered and she felt comforted by some of them talking with encouragement, and just plain terrified by the evil caress in others'. Phoebe tightened her eyes and put her hands over her ears as to get the whispers out of her head while stinging and painful tears slowly moved down her cheeks.

"Get out of there now!"

"Go back; give your life to evil. You don't deserve this pain."

"St- stop!" Phoebe yelled out hopelessly.

What's happening, Phoebe thought frantically. Where am I going!

"Fight, you can win..."

"Phoebe, trust me."

"Brandon?" Phoebe croaked, at last, opening her eyes. An image of dark figures were dancing around her and blinding her vision. It was too dark. She couldn't see...

Phoebe's hand throbbed and she held it tightly into a fist. Her heart thumped in her chest. Her eyes were open wide and the tears had stopped falling. Her heart beat again. A warm feeling past through her fingers and they were lighting up as well. Phoebe uncurled her fingers...

A wonderfully bright and warm light was wiping the darkness away with each heartbeat in Phoebe's chest. She turned right-side-up and started to gently move downward with her arm outstretched. Her feet brushed up against rough ground and Phoebe stared with amazement at her hand, for there, unbelievably to Phoebe, lay the Heart of Candracar.

"I- I can't believe it!" Phoebe exclaimed with shock. A powerful wave of warmth overcame her body and whether it was the Heart of Candracar, her own emotions, or the heat from the blanket she had accidentally pulled from her bed on her fall covering her as she quietly stirred and saw herself laying on the floor of her bedroom. Phoebe struggled to get up and was still breathing quite heavily in rapid gasps. She pulled a hand through her hair and glanced at the phone when she heard Ona yell out, "Fine. Go ahead and ignore me because I can see that you're trying to get ready, or are chasing down your brother or something. See you at the high school in fifteen, and don't forget your gift."

Ona clicked off and the line made a long, moaning beep. Phoebe quickly reached out her hand and turned it off, her quite gasps of confusement still came out of her as her heart raced once again. She looked down at her hand again and stared at the Ring of Secrets. In that hand, the Heart of Candracar had come out and saved her. That hadn't been a dream, had it? Had she knocked herself out for a few minutes and simply imagined all of this because of what Will had told her a few days ago?

Phoebe looked up and gasped. She sprinted into her bathroom and stared at herself in front of her mirror, eyes wide open with unbelief and her mouth open wide as well.

There, in the mirror, was living proof of what she had just seen. Phoebe had remembered this happening to another girl, one riding a bike with a mop of red hair. It had happened to Will.

Phoebe stretched out her fingers to touch that of the reflection's. The person staring back at her was no girl, but a more womanly figure with perfect curves and a hint of more maturity and sharp features. This older version had a length of beautiful, wavy, brown hair flowing halfway down her back and her green eyes shone from her more adult face.

A purple top barred her slender belly and shoulders, with fabric(that once may have been long sleeves but were cut all the way up) attached at the top so that it hung off each of the shoulders a bit. Turquoise, baggy pants hugged her legs comfortably, with a designed belt to send it off. She wore purple boots (much like Will's), though they were not all the way seen. Beautiful, flowery wings were seen from her back...

"Phoebe?"

Phoebe spun around and held a hand to her chest. Justin was coming into her room!

"Don't you ever knock?" she asked, quickly glancing back to the mirror. The magical reflection was gone. Phoebe's own young face and frantic expression stared back at her.

"Sorry. Mom says we're leaving." he said and closed the door again. Glancing once more at the mirror, Phoebe ran and put on her shoes. Mia purred beside her as she sat on the bed and tried to compose herself. Slightly grinning, Phoebe pet her kitten and sighed.

"I have to tell them," Phoebe hoarsely whispered, more to herself than even to the cat. "I don't want to though. They won't believe me. My friends have seen magic, but it would be difficult for them to take in the fact that it's _them_ who has the magic now."

Phoebe walked and grabbed her present and started to walk out of the door.

I need to tell them everything, Phoebe told herself as she jogged down the stairs and toward her mother who was frantically making a motion for Phoebe to get a move on. The car doors slammed and the car drove out of the garage and started moving past the many houses shining with brilliant Christmas lights. Phoebe couldn't take in any of the spirit of Christmas, not at the moment where she had just discovered that her and her friends' lives had now officially changed forever.

"I have to tell them, everything." she whispered again to herself, so softly that her mom and brother, loudly singing carols, couldn't hear her. They were nearer to the high school now. Phoebe could hear the cheering and loud music from Justin's rolled down window.

"I just hope they will understand, but I guess I'm going to have to make them see what has happened to us." She looked at her hand again in fierce determination.

"After all, Will was right. I am the Keeper of the Heart of Candracar!"

* * *

Yes! I loved writing that chap! I hope people enjoyed it as much as I did writing it, and I can't wait to come back with another chapter! Send reviews please, they really do help me write faster! 

**Happy Valentines Day!**


	7. All I Want For Christmas

Oh, the spirit of Christmas is in the air in this story! It's cold outside, beautiful lights are everywhere with presents under the tree, and all the teenagers get ready to go to the best Christmas party ever!

But for five girls, this party will change their lives...forever.

**Chapter 5: All I Want For Christmas**

Eva's POV

Eva laughed and moved her hips and feet to the rhythm of the music. Kids were dancing on the huge dance floor of the high school gym and some girls were standing around talking and flirting with cute boys. Many raced each other to the refreshments table before all the good stuff was gone later.

Streamers, balloons, and holy were anywhere where you could possibly attach them and the headlights stared at all the students having a blast and the teachers milling about the room and watching. The entire crowd of kids from the Jr. High and High School were in shades of Christmas colors! Dots of red, green, gold, and white flashed in Eva's eyes as she spun around on the dance floor in her new short, red dress, her hair finally out of her braids and pretty straight.

"Work it Eva!" Jordan hollered to her nearby. Eva grinned in a knowing way and wiped some sweat off her forehead and walked back to where Wei and Ona were clapping.

"Nice moves." Ona said. "Now try doing the splits in that dress."

"Oh, ha ha. That is if I could ever do them." Eva responded as Wei giggled.

The live DJ spun disks and was playing a mix of Christmas songs and the latest hits. It sounded like being in a real concert! Eva was so content in this huge place of teenagers who, like her, seemed to be having a good time.

Eva clapped with the rest of the crowd as 'When I'm Gone' ended and her eyes wandered over to her friends near to her.

She saw Wei with her long, black hair up in a ponytail and wearing a gold top with the straps going around the neck with silk, black, flaring out pants. She growled in anger as Ona flicked some popcorn at her face and laughed in her short black skirt, boots, and green shirt, her short blond hair pulled back into a half ponytail and bouncing wildly as Wei tried to throw some dough nuts back. Eva laughed and she suddenly saw Rachel with Phoebe and Erika in tow, heading their way.

"Hey, I'm back. And look who I found near the table." Rachel announced, dragging Phoebe and Erika by the arms into the circle of friends. Phoebe gave an embarrassed smile while Erika looked grumpily at Rachel.

"Hey! I was fine talking to Phoebe by the food. Why'd you have to drag me all the way out here?"

"Oh, quit dragging down the party!" Rachel answered in a teasing way. "You guys were over there so you could steal some food and sneak off to spend the rest of the night at home on the computer."

Erika and Phoebe looked back guiltily at each other, but Eva was sure that she was the only one who noticed. Rachel finally let go of them and Eva noticed her long green skirt and red sweater. Her eyes moved in to see what kind of outfit Phoebe and Erika were sporting that night. Both of their usually long hair was up(in Phoebe's case, curled and bouncy.) Phoebe moved in her white dress between Ona and her as Erika settled beside Rachel in her own purple dress over a pair of blue jeans. Eva shrugged off their unhappy looks and realized that not everybody was a party person, but she could still make the night fun for them!

"Come on! Live a little. It's called d-a-n-c-i-n-g, t-a-l-k-i-n-g. This is a time to have fun!" Eva told them as she threw her hand up to wave at Jordan. He waved back with a cute smile that melted Eva with happiness. She just knew that he was going to ask soon...

"Yeah, and hang out with your bestest friends!" Ona said happily. Wei's eyes scrunched up in confusion at Ona's choice of words and she saw her mouth 'bestest?' before Ona and Rachel headed toward the refreshments to get everybody else some soda.

"So, you really like Jordan, don't you?" Phoebe asked. Eva's eyes snapped open.

"Where have you been?"

Phoebe shrugged. Eva moved on to something different than her crush and laughed at what went flying through her head.

"I guess Tony will have some competition at being claimed the biggest nerd in school." Eva continued, her eyes on Phoebe. Erika spun around.

"Don't tell me Justin-"

"What did he do?" Wei interrupted. Eva burst out laughing and Phoebe groaned.

"Don't tell me, 'The Chicken Incident.' " Ona said as she and Rachel returned and handed each of the girls some soda. Phoebe shook her head.

"I'm scarred for life."

Wei was about to retort again until Eva grabbed her hand and pushed her onto the floor.

"Are you crazy, Eva! You know I can't dance!" she shouted.

"Hmm, she can't dance at a dance, how peculiar." Ona whispered to Phoebe slyly. Wei ran back to them and glared at Eva who responded with a jerk of her head. Fine, if she doesn't want to dance, that's her problem, Eva thought as a break dance between two boys came out. Everyone started cheering and jumping up and down to root for their friend. Eva laughed and clapped her hands before taking another sip of soda.

"Okay, so let's have a dare!" Onalia exclaimed. Eva raised her eyebrows and perked up. Now this party was going to go somewhere.

"I say that the first boy to talk to you from here on, you have to ask out!" Ona told them with a mischievous look in her eyes. "If you don't by Monday, then the rest of us will find some way to torture you!" Erika let out a breath of relief.

"As long as we don't have to hear one of your stories then I can deal with anything you throw at me." Ona opened her mouth wide and the girls laughed. Kelly Clarkson's 'Walk Away' started and even more kids joined the dance floor. Eva looked up at the stage and could see the idiot, Kevin, sneaking up behind Lisa and trying to scare her. Lisa turned around and gave him a cold stare that turned him around and trudging down the steps in defeat. The DJ slowed the music down as Al grabbed the microphone and smiled at the crowd.

"Hey everybody! Welcome to my 5th annual Christmas party! I hope everyone out there is having a good time."

The kids started screaming and hooting, most were out of breath though from constantly dancing. Eva looked to her side and noticed that one of the biggest nerds in school was making his way toward them. He would definitely end up talking to one of them!

She shifted her body behind Wei, but it turned out that Tony was just walking near them because there was a gap in the crowd where he could see through his glasses and not get punched in the face. Eva shook her head and turned her attention back to Al, who couldn't seem happier at the prospect of how much everyone liked her party, like usual.

"First of all, I'd like to thank you all for coming. We have even more stuff planned tonight-and Kevin, save some food for later. It's not going anywhere." Al added with a grin. The students and the teachers laughed shortly at her comment as Kevin glowered at her with angry eyes.

"We're going to have Secret Santa openings after I'm through with this, and then a lot of fun afterward with Karaoke, Eva Carrie having volunteered to sing first!"

Eva suddenly felt a large spotlight on her as tons of people looked her way. She finally smiled and gave a slight wave. They looked back at Al as she continued.

"There will also be a short Christmas presentation put together by the drama club at the end of the night, and everybody will be leaving with goodiebags that you don't want to pass up! It's just about Christmas everybody!"

The kids hollered some more and Eva smiled at Wei, who grinned back.

"I know you all can't wait for the presents under the tree tomorrow, but why don't you start here on Christmas Eve. It's time for Secret Santa!" Al exclaimed. Everyone started running and pushing each other toward the large Christmas tree by the stage where everyone's presents were. The teachers looked alarmed and Mr. Wilson ran ahead and cut the kids off.

"Oh no you don't! We're not an elementary school and trained like a wild pack of zoo animals. Lisa will call out names to whom the gifts belong, and they will step forward to get it-without fighting!" Their principal ordered. Eva could hear Ona sigh and others groan but then step into a line where Al was calling out names.

"Sarah Miller. Tayana Creevey. Stephen Tyler..."

One by one, kids ran forward to get their present and some people howled with laughter if someone came up and told them that they were the ones who had bought the gifts. Eva tapped her foot impatiently as students were called up one by one.

"Wei Tran, Vanessa Coles. Onalia Johnson. Erika Anders, Timothy Harris, Eva Carrie." Al took a deep breath, obviously tired already from calling out names. Eva walked forward quickly and could barely hear the names still being called out for her head was buzzing excitedly.

"Patrice Keller, Amanda Anderson, Brandon Anderson, Phoebe Whitfield, Rachel Lewis, Evan Brown..."

Eva had finally received her gift and unwrapped a basket full of flowery scented lotions and body sprays. She shrugged and smiled. I could have gotten much worse, she reminded herself. She looked behind her and could see each of her friends opening their gifts. She walked to them and caught Ona squeal.

"Oh! It's the 18th W.i.t.c.h. book! I drove my dad so crazy, he wouldn't let me get it. Phoebe did you-"

"Don't look at me. I didn't buy it for you." she answered, halfway through unwrapping the package in her hands. Ona looked around the group confusingly. Her eyes lingered on Wei, who was smirking, and her eyes popped.

"No way!" Ona exclaimed and her grin started widening. "You couldn't have gotten me this book, Wei." Wei folded her arms.

"Of course I did. It wasn't that hard. I had to sneak by my dad to do it, which means that you owe me very, very much, Ona!" Ona smiled and looked back at her gift and waved away Wei's comment.

"Sure thing, babe. Oh! I know what I'm doing tonight." Eva chuckled and she heard another gasp.

"Wow!" Phoebe exclaimed with surprise as she gently pulled out a beautiful necklace. It was turquoise, her favorite color, and was decorated here and there with pink and purple beads with a pink-jeweled heart in the very middle. Eva stared, dumbstruck at the amazing gift.

"Are you sure that that's under twenty bucks?" Eva asked as she fingered the beads.

"It's gorgeous!" Erika said breathlessly. "All I got was a gift card to Target. Here, let me help you put it on." Erika reached out for the necklace and hooked it around Phoebe's neck. Phoebe shivered violently when a crowd of people walked by her. Ona looked curiously at Phoebe.

"Are you alright?" Onalia asked.

Phoebe looked back at her and blinked.

"Yeah, I think so. Maybe...it was probably just the wind."

"God, you're right. Let's get the heck away from the door." Onalia said. As they moved toward the middle of the room, Eva couldn't help wondering about Phoebe's gift. Who could have possibly bought that, she thought. Kids started cheering and clapping their hands when Eva actually felt a real spotlight fall on her. Bewildered at what was going on, Eva glanced back at Rachel, who was pointing at the stage.

"Would Eva Carrie please come up to the stage to start the karaoke party!" Al was saying into the mike excitedly. Eva smiled at everybody cheering for her, including her friends, and she confidently walked up to the stage. She could do this...she was the best singer in choir...she could do it.

Eva took the microphone from Al and stared out into the crowd. Or she tried to anyway as the lights were starting to blind her eyes and white spots were in her eyes after she blinked. Eva forced herself to see, and the entire room was suddenly clear to her after she thought about it. Taking a deep breath she stepped forward.

"This is 'All I Want For Christmas, Is You' by Mariah Carey." Eva spoke into the mike. She saw some kids whispering and Phoebe giving her a thumbs up. Eva smiled and the beat of the music started. Her feet tapped the brightly lit stage and her body swayed with the music. Her entire life had been music. Now it was time to step up to her dreams, and let her voice flow...

"I don't want a lot for Christmas  
There's just one thing I need  
I don't care about the presents  
Underneath the Christmas tree  
I just want you for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true  
All I want for Christmas is...  
You."

Everyone started clapping and dancing. Whistles were heard and Eva could see her friends beaming with pride.

"I don't want a lot for Christmas  
There is just one thing I need  
I don't care about the presents  
Underneath the Christmas tree  
I don't need to hang my stocking  
There upon the fireplace  
Santa Claus won't make me happy  
With a toy on Christmas day  
I just want you for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true  
All I want for Christmas is you!  
You baby."

"I won't ask for much this Christmas  
I don't even wish for snow  
I'm just gonna keep on waiting  
Underneath the mistletoe  
I won't make a list and send it  
To the North Pole for Saint Nick  
I won't even stay awake to  
Hear those magic reindeers click  
'Cause I just want you here tonight  
Holding on to me so tight  
What more can I do.  
Baby all I want for Christmas is you!  
Ooh baby."

Eva walked more confidently to the edge of the stage and she felt stronger than ever as song came out some more.

"All the lights are shining  
So brightly everywhere  
And the sound of children's  
Laughter fills the air  
And everyone is singing  
I hear those sleigh bells ringing  
Santa won't you bring me the one I really need  
Won't you please bring my baby to me..."

"Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas  
This is all I'm asking for  
I just want to see my baby  
Standing right outside my door  
Oh I just want you for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true  
Baby all I want for Christmas is...  
You"

"All I want for Christmas is you... baby"

Screams filled the air and everyone was clapping and roaring Eva's name. Happiness overcame her face and she felt hot from standing on the stage and seriously out of breath. She whispered hoarsely a thank you and moved her way back to her friends with many kids patting her on the back and the teachers praising her. She finally reached the five girls and Wei grabbed her in a bone breaking hug.

"You were so amazing!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Move over _Eva _'Carey'." Onalia giggled.

"Wow! You are even better than I remember." Phoebe whispered gleefully. Eva's smile fell just a little at Phoebe's pale face.

"Um, are you okay Phoebe? You look kind of sick." Phoebe shook her head and rubbed her neck and started breathing like she was the one who had been up on the stage singing her heart out.

"Oh, no, I'm fine. But I really have something important to tell you guys." Phoebe whispered as Tony, blinded by the light, knocked into Ona and knocked her soda out of her hands, and on her outfit.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Ona! Did I get that much on you? I could help in a jiffy!"

"Hey! Watch where you're going! Ugh, it's not that bad.But Ican clean it up myself th-thaaaanks." Ona ended, in a horrified note at the smiles of the girls' faces. She looked at Tony and looked back to the group with a fearful understanding on her face. Taking a hint, Tony quickly turned away and left the girls staring at Onalia.

"Ah, so what kind of punishment would you like, Ona, if you don't ask Tony out by Monday?" Erika asked with a sly grin.

"Oh no! Oh no, oh no, oh no..."

A groan came from Eva's side and she turned around to see Phoebe lurch forward, with her facescrunched up with dizzinessand looking like she was about to faint. Rachel and Erika caught her under her arms before she could fall to the floor.

"Whoa! Phoebe, you okay?" Erika asked as Phoebe's eyes fluttered open and she seemed to notice that her knees were inches from the ground.

"Huh? Yeah, yeah I think so." She looked up and gave a small smile to reassure them. "I'm alright, just a dizzy spell."

Phoebe's eyes widened as if she thought she had said the wrong thing. Eva glanced curiously at Ona's hardened and very suspicious look in Phoebe's direction.

"Phoebe?..."

Ona, for once, seemed to be at loss for words of what to say. Phoebe bit her lip and rubbed her head as to get rid of the pain she was feeling.

"Um, I think I need some air. I feel funny in here."

"Okay, we'll go with you. It's starting to get crowded and hot in here anyway." Wei said. Eva glanced again at Ona, her expression confused and still seeming suspicious.

"This is all too weird. I've seen this before...I've read this before..." Ona started whispering to herself. Eva walked with concern behind Rachel and Wei, who had taken the place of Erika as she let go of Phoebe's arm and stood uncomfortably behind them.

"Um, you guys go ahead. I'll stay here." she answered shakingly, a glance around the gym. Rachel looked at Eva and she shrugged.

"She probably is waiting for us to leave so she can ask out that guy, Chris, without us noticing." Eva whispered back. Rachel shook her head and pushed open the back gym's doors.

Cool air swept across Eva's face as the five girls walked across the grass in the starry night. Eva breathed in the fresh air, not noticing how hot and stuffy it was in the gym until coming outside. She felt the grass sway by her feet and she grinned at Wei. Not that her friend noticed. She was too busy looking at Phoebe, shaking uncontrollably.

"Guys, I-I have to tell you something important. You'll probably hate me for it, but I need to tell you four before something tries to harm us. I wouldn't be able to stand not telling you my secret...our secret." Phoebe began.

Rachel looked at Phoebe with concern.

"Whatsup?"

Eva blinked in confusion. Where was this girl getting at?

"I don't know how to tell you guys this," Phoebe started again. "But what I'm about to say will change our lives...forever."

* * *

A boy stands around the corner, smiling.

"It's about time. They're about to find out that they are the new Guardians." he whispered. Leaves moved around his feet and he slashed them to pieces with his sword. Grinning, he slid his sword back in his belt and stared on at the five magical girls ahead of him.

"Hmm, the Guardians of the Veil. I will truly enjoy destroying them!"

* * *

I'm so sorry that it took me a while to write this. School's got me really busy, along with my family, and I never completely found the time. At least I have one more week until Spring Break, and I'll be able to get some writing done then. I'll probably even be so happy with getting the 19th W.i.t.c.h. book tomorrow and the Harry Potter DVD on Tuesday, that I might write on this and 'What the Future Holds' up a storm! Check back with my profile tomorrow for a preview of the next chap and I'll give out ice cream to reviewers! 


	8. Confessions

Well, here's the next chapter, where the secret is revealed...

**Chapter 6: Confessions**

Phoebe's POV

Phoebe's eyes wandered from each of her friends' concerned faces and she bit her lip with dread.

Why, why did she have to be the one to tell them this? She would now give anything to not have gotten the Ring of Secrets and gone on that crazy adventure if it was to come to this! How could she possibly tell them that they were the newest Guardians of the Veil? Would they even believe her? Would they discover that she was nuts and throw her out of the group, out of the friendship permanently? Phoebe was dying from the anxiety of having this huge secret, hidden behind a locked door; one which she held the key to; one that only she could open.

Phoebe took a deep breath. She wasn't the best at explaining her feelings, or even telling stories for that matter. But she had to start moving her lips before Eva hit her, which she fully looked like she was going to do at the moment.

"I-I guess I need to start from the beginning, when I first moved here."

Eva and Rachel exchanged glances and turned back to Phoebe.

"I remember being so mad when I moved here! My mother had torn me away from my life again. She couldn't even plan the move right because we ended up here at twelve in the morning. The stars seemed unusually bright at that time. It was January 19th when I walked on the grass of this neighborhood for the first time."

Phoebe watched Ona's face screw up in concentration.

"Why have I heard that before? Is that somebody's birthday?" she asked.

Phoebe nodded.

"Will's."

There was a hush through the girls and Phoebe decided to continue.

"7th grade went by fast and we all were happy, but after my birthday, I realized that my moving here just might not be a coincidence."

"That day made me feel funny." Wei said, speaking at last. "I knew it was Phoebe's birthday, but there was a rush of happiness in the air, or at least I felt that something good had happened."

Eva huffed and folded her arms as Phoebe looked up with a thoughtful expression.

"Did you notice that that was the first day I got W.i.t.c.h.?"

Another silence. Onalia shifted her feet.

"You guys, you must have had strange things happen to you too? I don't think I'm the only one here."

Phoebe looked at them expectantly and bit her lip again.

"Come on. If we really are the friends we say we are, we can say anything without any of us doubting each other." Onalia looked to the side uncomfortably.

"Well, there was that thing with my bath." Ona said.

"And being able to hear things far away." Rachel answered thoughtfully. They looked at the other two until Wei finally blurted out.

"Okay! I saw some images in a fire once, but they were probably weird shaped logs or something."

Phoebe raised her eyebrows at her but didn't say anything. Wei's nostrils flared when she was lying and they were flaring angrily at that second. Eva shook her head and rolled her eyes with a small chuckle.

"What about you Eva?" Rachel asked pointedly. "I know something's happened to you."

"Well, besides hearing about you guys' weird lives and venturing off into another world, absolutely nothing. May we please go back to the dance now?" Eva asked impatiently.

"Come off it! What about your flowers in your mom's garden growing up the side of the house!" Wei started to yell.

"It's my mom, she's been using a new fertilizer-"

"That made them grow every time _you_ sneezed!"

"Stop it!" Phoebe shouted. Eva and Wei were staring daggers at each other which made Phoebe take a sharp breath quicker than she had in her dream. There was quietness spreading through the still and cool night. Phoebe knew that the party must have already ended.

"Sorry." Wei answered quietly. Eva barely gave a smile and then turned back to Phoebe.

"Get to the point before I hightail myself back into that party, or possibly what's left of it." Eva said with an annoyed tone. Rachel and Wei gazed at her, waiting, while Ona revered to looking at her feet.

"Well, I truly don't know how to explain this. There are some things better explained in actions than in words. I wish I knew how Yan Lin explained it, but we are definitely all alone." Phoebe said.

Ona gasped and quickly turned to Phoebe.

It was the moment of truth.

Phoebe lifted her hand up in the air and tilted her head back as if she was being pulled up, just like how she remembered Will always doing. A gasp escaped her before she closed her hand into a fist.

Please let this work, she thought to herself. I hope that dream, wasn't just a dream.

An intense heat pried open her fingers and an amazing light dawned upon the five girls. Wei gasped, Ona gazed at her with a certain excitedness, while Eva looked like she was about to be sick.

The Heart of Candracar was once again hovering over her hand and Phoebe grinned. She had found peace at last. She couldn't cower in fear as she might have as the shy little Phoebe, for now she had an inner strength. It resided in the Heart of Candracar that filled her head with sense, built her muscles with strength, and gave her heart hope.

"Water!" Phoebe cried. A blue teardrop flew to Ona and twirled around her.

"Fire!" An orange one this time swerved toward Wei.

"Earth!" The green teardrop of magic spun in the air and contacted Eva before she knew what had happened.

"And air!" A silver one came out of the Heart and copied what was happening to the others to Rachel.

And me, Phoebe thought as a pink teardrop came to her and started swirling around her.

A wonderful feeling, not like any Phoebe had ever experienced, washed her entire body as she gasped with delight. She curled into a ball and let magic infuse her soul. Phoebe could feel her legs lengthening and every muscle becoming stronger; her face turned into one of a mature young woman as pure energy rushed through her veins. She knew it before it happened, but she felt a tugging in her back and knew she was growing the wings that all the Guardians from W.i.t.c.h. had. Phoebe felt the outfit she had seen in her bathroom mirror replacing her white dress; her hair fell out of the tight curls and loosened into soft waves of golden brown hair that fell half-way down her back. Phoebe had the courage to burst out of her transformation and land lightly on the grass.

"Oh. My. God." she heard Ona whisper.

Standing in front of Phoebe weren't the teenage girls that she saw every day. They were older and more beautiful; Guardians of the Veil.

Ona stood in front of her with her blonde hair in low pigtails with some loose hair falling around her matured face. She wore a turquoise, long sleeved, midriff bearing top with a cheerleader-like purple skirt and short boots. Wei was next to her and looking down at her purple tank top and Turquoise mini skirt, her hair long and braided with turquoise ribbon twined in her long braid of black hair.

Eva stood off to the side and saw her own transformed body with shock. Her dark brown hair was layered and about the same length as Phoebe's. Her purple Guardian top was off the shoulder and midriff bearing as her long turquoise skirt that was short in the front and long in the back, curling around her feet a little with long and slender boots. Rachel smiled at her turquoise shoulder and midriff bearing top with straps that crossed over her neck and tied in the back. Her purple knee length skirt flared out and her usual curly, frizzy red hair was sleek and straight and pulled up into a high ponytail and flipped out at the end with some hair on the outside of her face flipped out also.

"I wonder if I could-" Ona lifted her hands and water shot out and past Wei's face.

"What was that? Did that just come out of her hands? Like, Irma..."

The stared at each other with a note of understanding. They didn't have to say any words to know what they were really thinking. Eva coughed and the girls turned to look at her.

"So we are-are we really-"

"Yes. We are the new Guardians of the Veil." Phoebe answered quietly. They stood there, still marveling at their appearances when Rachel tugged Phoebe's sleeve.

"I think we should change back. Even if it is late out, we are still standing on the grass outside a high school."

"Oh, right." Phoebe grunted and she opened her fist. The Heart of Candracar sparked as she thought of what she wanted and their transformed selves disappeared. Ona's monkey watch started beeping and Phoebe looked at the time. It was midnight now, and Phoebe knew she'd be grounded when she got home, but somehow, that was the least of the things on her mind.

"I don't know about you guys." Ona squeaked. "But I think this is the best present I have ever gotten."

"I'm not so sure I agree with you," Eva started. "But lets just go home. I'm freezing and my mother's gonna kill me!"

They all nodded in agreement and silently walked across the grass. It was only a few minutes before Phoebe felt Rachel tugging her arm again and pointed up excitedly.

"Look! It's the star! The star that was in the sky when baby Jesus was born!"

And so it was.

"Yeah, I guess we do have someone watching over us after all." said Phoebe with a smile. She turned to look at her four best friends her were gazing up at the sky with a sense of peace washing over them.

"Merry Christmas, you guys."

And Phoebe wondered what would happen to them, and the world now that they had uncovered their destinies. There was still some uncovered truth that they needed to discover, and the girls all wondered what that was. Many monsters crawled all over there city, not to mention Cedric, and she wondered what would happen in the battles that she knew had to come. Phoebe didn't want to think about all that just yet as she enjoyed her one moment of peace with her friends as they walked home together under the dark sky of that crisp morning, guided by the Christmas Star.

* * *

Done (finally) and I wrote into the early hours of the morning too. I couldn't write this chapter for a while for some reason. I guess I got caught up with everything going on here and my excitement over "Princess of Darkness", and I sort of suffered writers' block on this and "What the Future Holds" (which is what I'll update next.) Send reviews please if you may! 


	9. In Other Times

Wow, it's been so long since I've written anything and updated. I'm just so busy right now! Well, let's cut to the chase then, shall we?

**Chapter 7: In Other Times**

Phobos's POV

_7 Years Ago..._

"Very good." said Phobos in an amused voice. He watched as a wrought iron fence was flung through the air and sent some prisoners Phobos had specifically asked for his daughter to practice on, screaming in terror as they were knocked off their feet. The seven-year old girl stood with her feet planted firmly on the ground. Her long, light hair stood on end and floated behind her as if gravity had stopped in the air around her. The girl twisted and flung her arms in the air as more items beside her sprang to life filled with a deep, purple magic.

"Good. You know what to do." Phobos told her with a dismissing wave of his hand as he lied back deeper into his throne. The girl grinned maliciously and threw her arms forward. Like speeding rockets, the glass vases streamed through the air and toward the prey. Eyes glowing white from the purple magic surrounding her, Phobos's daughter fell back on her knees with a sigh of tiredness, expressing no emotion or concern for the poor creatures who were being hit with the vases and crashing to the ground in pain. Phobos got up and strode to her as she struggled to get up and show that she was still strong.

"What's the matter? What happened?"

She shook her head and stared determinedly ahead of her, hands brimming with magic.

"I can do it. I-I'm just tired is all."

Phobos stared at her firmly and looked the girl over. She was very young, it was true, and Phobos needed to take that in consideration. She had been focusing all of her magic on moving objects with her power of the mind all morning. Progress was definitely made...she had the talent of lying and manipulating. Her power was growing stronger by the day. In a few more years, Phobos just knew, she could easily slip into Heatherfield and steal his sister away to Meridian. Phobos finally glanced outside into the bright afternoon and nodded.

"Lord Phobos."

Phobos spun around and sneered in Cedric's presence. He became dimly aware of some guards grabbing the bleeding prisoners roughly and pushing them out of the room, most likely back to their cells in the prison for the day.

"What?" he spat.

"There is a young boy outside your door demanding to see you." Cedric told him with a bow. Phobos turned sharply again.

"Go to the garden." he barked to his daughter. "I'll be there later. Cedric could you-"

"I can manage." she spoke sourly. She gave Cedric one last unquavering look and disappeared past another door.

"Well, okay. This boy again?" Phobos asked.

"After me, my Lord."

Phobos followed Cedric into the hallway leading into the throne room.

"You know, can you really trust a little girl with a mission as important as this?" Cedric asked Phobos softly as he strode ahead to the door. Phobos knew that he had transformed back into his reptile form as the definite growl was present in his words.

"Are you doubting my decision?" Phobos hissed with anger.

"Oh, oh no...my Lord."

Phobos sniffed and wondered if Cedric would try again, but he seemed to have lost his nerve. Good, Phobos thought with a slight grin.

Their footsteps echoed against the empty hall and Cedric turned around to shut the door. A maid servant gave them both a quivering glance before shuffling behind another door, but then, everything was utterly silent.

"Well?" Phobos demanded.

"Where's my sister!"

Phobos felt a fist collide with his stomach. He gasped quickly before his powers went shimmering in his hands and he pushed the hand backward. A little boy, about 8 or 9 by the looks of him, started screaming in agony.

"Let me go! Let my sister go!"

Phobos sneered and dropped the boy to the ground. Cedric rushed forward and cackled as he whipped the boy with his tail and he went sliding on his back down the hallway.

"That's what you get for trying to attack Prince Phobos, ruler of all Meridian!"

Phobos held up his hand. He smiled cruelly before striding toward the boy who was just stirring from Cedric's attack. Phobos reached forward to grab him again, but he scrambled out of Phobos's reach.

"Don't touch me, you kidnapper!"

Phobos frowned and drew his arm back to his side.

"Why do you say that?"

There was a fire burning in his eyes. A longing of something bursting to come forth as he spoke.

"You took my sister away 6 years ago! She was bundled up and in the street when you picked her up, muttering a bunch of stuff, and walked away. Please, give her back. Give her back!"

The boy tried running toward Phobos again, but this time, he was ready. Phobos blasted him off his feet once more with white magic and he gasped with surprise and pain. Cedric started laughing behind him, but Phobos frowned with a pondering expression. The little boy was breathing heavily and glared at Phobos with hatred. As a matter of fact, he sort of looked like-

"Cedric!" Phobos called out. Cedric walked forward with confusion and disappointment. He was obviously hoping for Phobos to finish him off.

"Help him up."

Cedric picked the boy up roughly and he started to rub his bruised arm that Cedric had given him.

"Follow me." said Phobos. He quickly walked with the other two trying to keep up with him. He had to get to his garden, he needed to find out if it was true.

He walked out into his garden and looked around. He asked the maids and his best guards. Nobody knew what had just happened. Phobos had gone out and found her brother, but it did no good. His daughter was nowhere to be found.

* * *

Okay, I know that was really short, and I never planned it to be long in the first place. I'm really sorry since some people have been waiting a long time for this chapter, but I _promise_ that I'll make it up to everyone with the next long chapter. The girls get together and have their first magic practice! Read to see what happens...because there may be more than one traitor in the girls' midst... 


	10. Magic Practice

Alrighty, well I'm finally typing again. I'm sorry for the long wait, but I'm sure that this two story update is a piece of good news. Yes, I am finally continuing What the Future Holds, and of course, bringing the next chap of my Harry Potter crossover, Princess of Darkness(coming within the next couple of days because I had to start all over with it)along with this one, so I'm all typed out for the moment. Here's the next chap then.

**Chapter 8: Magic Practice**

Rachel's POV

"This isn't real Ona! You probably had a squirt gun in your hand or something. I also probably had too much punch-"

"Yeah right! Too much punch my butt! You turned into a magical being in case you don't remember, _Eva_!"

"I have to back Eva up on this one. This is all too weird and it goes against all the rules of physics-"

"Oh, could you stop being smart for just once Wei? You have at least sort of faced the fact. I guess Miss Princess over here needs some more convincing."

"Oh shove it. I really don't have time for this. Help me Phoebe."

"What for? You know what _I'm _going to say."

"Arrgh! Rachel?"

Rachel snapped her head back into focus. Phoebe, Ona, Wei, and Eva were all staring at her now as Rachel blinked with confusion. Phoebe looked anxious and Wei looked torn between what both Eva and Ona were saying, between what she knew to be true and of what she saw just last night. Eva and Ona, however, were looking seriously annoyed.

"Well? Do I have to ask your opinion on this, or are you gonna side with Ona?" Eva asked with force.

Rachel felt bewildered. She had been secretly enjoying playing with little gusts of wind with her fingertips. Ever since she figured out that she was the air Guardian, she had been playing with the wind every chance she got. Now that she had been distracted from the conversation, she felt very lost at what in the world everyone was talking about.

"Uh, run it by me again." Rachel asked with embarrassment. Eva groaned.

"What will get your head down from the clouds, Rachel?" she asked with a little amusement. Rachel gave a small grin.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe a little wind!" she giggled back.

Rachel laid her hand flat in the air in front of her and blew gently. A sudden draft of visible wisps of air raced forward and soared past Eva, who spun to the side and fell to the ground. Her mouth open, she gasped at the circle of air that was now surrounding them and weaving in and out of the girls with a sense of freedom.

"Ha!" Ona yelled in triumph as she stuck her tongue out at Eva. Phoebe smiled at Rachel and she returned a grin, giddy with delight.

This whole magic thing isn't as horrible as Wei and Eva are trying to make it seem, Rachel thought. I feel so light with this power, as if I could run miles and soar through the clouds without worries, and nobody could ever catch up with me!

Rachel sighed and looked at her friends. We have all been brought into this for a reason. What that reason was, she still had no idea since nobody but Phoebe was here to clue them in, but she was sure that there was a good one.

It was still kind of weird to think of all the adventures the girls had during the past few days. They returned from the Mirror Mystery and battle with the Guardians of the Veil in Heatherfield against Phobos with some more weird things going on. Just when the girls started thinking things would actually go back to being normal, Phoebe had to drop a bombshell on us, Rachel remembered. Standing in the midnight breeze of Christmas morning, still in their party clothes, Phoebe had explained everything and connected all the puzzle pieces. She surprisingly brought out the Heart of Candracar and the five girls turned into the new Guardians!

"Eva, Wei, you know we can't force you to believe, but you've got to try to understand." Phoebe said gently. Her eyes were so pleading that Rachel felt some sympathy and turned to look at Eva and Wei. Wei was clicking her tongue and doing some serious thinking while Eva was staring coolly at Phoebe without moving at all. After what seemed like several minutes, Wei nodded her head slowly and Eva rolled her eyes with a groan.

"Okay, fine, whatever. I'll go along with it. Happy?"

"Of cooouurse I am!" Ona exclaimed as she grabbed a surprised Eva by the shoulder. "I was actually _right_!"

"Oh goodness! We need a parade, a medal, a ceremony in Ona's name!" said Phoebe sarcastically, her eyes twinkling.

"Oh, you're just jealous!" Ona replied with a smirk. Her blue eyes became wide and sparkled with delight as Rachel could tell that Ona's star dreams were carrying her away from the conversation that was starting.

That's Onalia for you, Rachel giggled to herself, always wanting to be the center of attention.

"Remind me again what we were wanting to do in the backyard of this abandoned house if all we were gonna do was talk?" Eva asked suddenly.

"Eva's right. We came here to practice magic so let's see what we can do!"

Phoebe closed her eyes and her hands clenched into a fist. Her hair started to flow behind her and she opened her hand. A pink light erupted out of her palm and the Heart of Candracar appeared.

"Guardians unite!" she cried.

The girls' teardrops flew to each of them and started spinning around them in a magical transformation. Rachel smiled and her arms went instinctively above her head as she was encased in a tornado of silver magic. She could feel her muscles strengthening, a purple skirt fall around her knees and a turquoise top cross around her neck, her curly, red hair straightening and being pulled into a ponytail.

When Rachel looked up, she saw that her other friends had transformed as well. Elegant Eva was standing tall and firmly in her Guardian outfit of a long, turquoise skirt, off the shoulder purple top, and the slender boots that hugged her calves. Ona and Phoebe were admiring their appearance of their own Guardian outfits, a purple skirt and turquoise top with short boots and turquoise, baggy pants with a purple top with fabric from it hanging off Phoebe's shoulders, while Wei whistled in her turquoise mini-skirt and purple top.

"Why do I have the feeling that we're getting into something bad? I think we're way in over our heads. You saw those monsters at the bookstore!" Wei exclaimed.

Eva sighed worriedly and Phoebe shifted and bit her lip.

"Yes, we did." said Phoebe quietly. Rachel could tell that the guilt of locking all those monsters inside their world by closing the mirror in Heatherfield was still fresh for her.

"But, but imagine what those things would do to our city if we don't defend this place." She continued. "Would you like to go through life, knowing that you had the power to prevent something bad happening, but you just stood there and watched it all happen because you were too scared, or too angry, or too stubborn to even take the chance to try?"

Ooh, she's got a point there, Rachel told herself. I hope Eva and Wei can see it too.

Eva stretched her arms ahead of her and actually smiled.

"So, let's get started saving the universe then? Ona will need lots of practice time."

"Me! You couldn't even control your "plant-growing" sneezes!" Ona yelled in outrage.

Rachel sighed. Their arguing seemed destined never to end.

Rachel walked away from the group with Wei following her as Phoebe saw them leaving and gave up on the hopeless case of getting Eva and Ona to stop arguing and walked with them. They stood in the overgrown grass and looked around in their practice ground.

"You know, if they sent someone to tidy this place up a bit, it actually wouldn't be a bad place to live." Phoebe said. Rachel nodded and looked around the backyard they were standing in. It was very large, there was a small pond in the middle with a bridge going over it and there was a tire-swing hanging from an old willow tree. Toys and pieces of furniture were scattered in the dirt and grass, Rachel thought them as perfect practice objects.

"Yeah, but the rumor is that this place is haunted," Wei told them as she looked back at the house. "I've heard that there were ghosts here or something. They say that one December night, around seven years ago, a woman passing by heard a baby crying in this house. An old woman used to live here, completely off her rockers and didn't do anything but watch her garden and listen to music all day, and when the young woman came inside to find the baby, she also saw the old woman dead in front of the backyard door. A faint blue light was supposedly surrounding the beautiful garden in her backyard as the woman stepped outside where the baby was still crying. But when she picked the infant up, it disappeared. It's rumored that as she was leaving with the baby; a ghostly tune came from inside the house and caused her to run away without looking back. The song is said to play for the week of Christmas or something."

"Tri la la lu la."

Wei jumped and Ona came up behind her, laughing.

"Since when have you believed in ghost stories, Wei? You were the last person I expected to come up with a tale like that." Eva said with a smirk. Wei shrugged and folded her arms.

"I never said I believed it. I was just telling the story behind the house. If you wanted its architectural history instead, you only needed to ask."

"Uh, no thanks." Phoebe answered. "I'd rather battle Phobos again."

Rachel gulped. _She _certainly wouldn't want to battle him again. Give me a boring lecture from Wei that I can tune out over getting crisped by Phobos anytime, she thought with a shudder.

Rachel closed her eyes and could feel her power trembling through her. She released her magic on the toys by her feet and started juggling them with the air to a few claps from Eva.

"Nice trick, now let's see what _I _can do." She said with a smile.

Eva walked over to the willow and put her glowing, green hands to the ground. The tree seemed to come alive and started waving its branches in a smooth dance to the wind.

"Stop it! You do remember that we're still in a backyard with houses nearby!" Phoebe yelled. Eva dropped her hands and the tree instantly swung back to the stillness it had started out as.

"Okay, I'm thinking of some target practice. Ona said. She raised her hand and water from the pond rose up in the air. Ona shot it toward the middle of the tire swing and missed it going through by inches.

"Darn it." She breathed.

"Let me try." Wei said as Ona moved aside grumpily. Wei aimed a fireball and it went smoothly through the hole of the tire and landed in the dry grass.

"Watch it!" Eva cried as she ran away from the fire and Ona directed some water to put it out.

"I think we ought to be a little more careful." Rachel said with Phoebe nodding.

"Alright, I got it." Wei said as she looked at her feet guiltily.

Ona and Wei went on a little battle against each other and Rachel sat down for a breather.

Whew! Who knew that I could have magical powers in the first place, Rachel asked herself with a relaxed sigh. That is _we_, we all have powers together. We're supposed to be a team, five powerful girls who save the city and possibly the world! Yep, I could sure get used to the idea.

A sharp intake of breath came from Rachel as she glanced over at Eva standing a little away from the group staring coldly the other three still practicing. Ona and Wei seemed to have given up on fighting each other and were now attacking Phoebe.

"Hey! You two can't team up against me!" Phoebe yelled at them as she started taking small steps backward. Ona gave a satisfied smirk.

"So, let's see if our little Phoebe here can dodge the power of water and fire."

Ona threw a water ball at Phoebe at the same time that Wei did a fireball. Phoebe yelped and flung her arms in front of her. A pink force field erupted from her hands and shielded her from the attacks. Rachel looked back at Ona and was confused that she was actually grinning.

"We had to get your powers out of the dark somehow." Ona said dismissively. "After all, you are our leader now."

"Le-leader?" Phoebe said. Her eyes quickly went from happy and laughing to cold and scared.

Uh oh, Rachel thought. I guess it's all fully sinking into her now. Rachel could somehow feel how Phoebe felt. Phoebe was the newest one of the bunch, not the comedian, the popular gymnast, the science fair winner, or the carefree, star track runner. She was the shy and sweet girl that Rachel had first met a year ago, but she was still a brave and caring person and could lead the group, though Rachel knew that Phoebe herself, and _some_ other people didn't think that she could be leadership material.

"Come on Phoebe." Rachel said reassuringly. "Don't be all scared about it. You have been great so far. Remember the mirror? Discovering your ancestor's past, and your future and then helping us and the Guardians defeat Phobos?"

"And letting his main lizard henchman loose on our streets," Phoebe responded with a pain-stricken face.

Rachel chose to ignore her comment and shook her head.

"Yeah, well even Will had a hard time with it at the beginning." Rachel continued and looked at Eva, standing with her arms still folded and staring at the two of them coolly. "She didn't seem like the perfect choice for a leader, but everything always worked out, am I right Ona?"

"Perfectly," Ona told her with a nod. "It's not like you're alone on this, Phoebe, so put your game face back on. The difference between you and Will is that we've known you longer and can trust you, and you trust us. Right Wei, right Eva?"

"Definitely." Wei said with a wink.

"Yeah." Eva responded. Her gaze went far off and she didn't look at anyone as the seconds passed by. Seriously, what was her _deal_?

Phoebe shrugged with a small smile that she tried, unsuccessfully, to hide.

"Let's just change back and head over for an ice cream cone before dinner or something. I think we've done enough for today."

Phoebe brought out the Heart of Candracar from her hand and stared at it, speaking to it, Rachel guessed. Rachel started to feel some of her brilliant energy and power being released back into the Heart and her own shorts, sneakers, and baseball hat returning to her normal, skinny teen body.

The other girls let out a breath of sadness as they took in their old appearances.

"You know, after being in Guardian form, it's kind of a drag not being able to have a beautifully form-fitting outfit in real life." Eva said with some disappointment showing. Rachel sighed.

Normal life all over again.

Hmm, I actually don't think that we girls will ever have a normal life ever again.

Phoebe was the last to sigh and pushed her hair out of her eyes with a really serious face for once.

"Okay, I guess you guys are right. I'd like to think that it will be easier for us to go through this because of all that we know from the W.i.t.c.h. universe, but I have the feeling that things are going to be very different."

"Yeah, we need to study, practice, and plan out what we need to do next." Wei said.

"And keep our eyes wide open." Phoebe added.

As if right on cue, Phoebe tripped and fell face forward into the grass.

"Oh my gosh! Are you alright?" Rachel cried as she raced forward to help her. Ona and Wei started howling with laughter and Ona fell to the ground as Wei held her stomach with tears coming out of her eyes. Rachel looked back at them and gave a warning glance as Phoebe tried to sit up and laugh it off.

"Yeah, I think I need to practice on my coordination skills though. I always seem to fall down." She told them with a laugh of embarrassment.

"Yeah, you do!" Ona half-screamed. "You should have seen your face! You are talking, and walking, and then-splat. That was hilarious!"

"Oh ha ha. Very amusing." Phoebe responded with a roll of her eyes. "I guess I know who's paying for their own cone now."

Ona's eyes came together quickly with a pleading expression.

"But, but I used all my money for lunch! How am I supposed to-"

"Shhh!" Phoebe suddenly whispered harshly. She was still on the ground, but turned on all fours and stared at the bushes a few feet in front of her.

"Did you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" Wei asked.

"Something, someone in the bushes just said something." Phoebe told her without lifting her gaze. Rachel and Ona looked at each other before kneeling down beside Phoebe and staring inquiringly at the bushes.

"Maybe we ought to take a look." Ona said as she moved forward. A sudden shifting in the bushes took her by surprise and she leaped backward with fear.

"Uh oh, I think it's coming out Phoebe!" she cried.

The bush rattled some more, and then a squirrel climbed out, sniffed the air, and darted up the nearby willow tree.

"See? There's what you guys are all crowded around the bushes being scared at," Eva told them with a sniff and small laugh. "A tiny, defenseless animal."

"Yeah, well just be quiet Eva." Ona sneered as she got up. Rachel stayed beside Phoebe who was still staring intently into the small, green leaves.

"I could swear I heard a voice." She whispered. Rachel nodded and then she looked in the direction her friend was looking in. A sudden thought took over her mind and she stood up.

_They are only the voices of the wind…_

"Come on, Phoebe. Let's get out of here." Rachel said at last, walking to join the other three girls already starting up toward the house. Phoebe shook her head and blinked her eyes and then ran to catch up. The five girls were in the middle of the garden that the old woman had planted. Beautiful flowers that lived as vibrantly as if her soul was still giving them the tender, loving care they needed and having the will to live and shine more brightly for the next new day.

_Whispers of love, emotion, and life…_

Eva opened the door and Wei hurried through it.

_It's all in your head…_

Ona looked back at Phoebe, as if daring to ask her if she really wasn't going to buy her ice cream and she, too, disappeared behind the screen door inside the house.

"I must have been hearing things." Phoebe told her. "It was probably just the wind."

_You aren't alone anymore…_

Rachel took one last glance at the old Willow waving in the evening breeze.

_Have trust in your friends and in your power…_

"Yes," she whispered reluctantly as the screen door shut and she started to follow Phoebe out the front door.

"It was only the wind."

Yay! I have been waiting SO long to finally publish this chapter, and I'm sorry that I haven't been able to. I am fully back with writing because I suffered so much with my home life and not being able to write. I'm a lot happier now that I get to type again! Well send a review please! Happy 4th of July!

Onalia: Woohoo! Celebrate our Independence Day!

Eva: Although, based on the next couple of chapters, _our_ freedom is far off.

Rachel: Oh, don't drag everybody down, Eva! Though, our every move is being watched by unlikely characters…

Phoebe: Right, and I find out that an old enemy is on our tail

Wei: And an old friend has a secret identity

Onalia: Oh! I know! It's-

Everybody: Shut up Ona!

Onalia: Okay, he he. I guess you have to wait until the next chapter then. Adios!


	11. Eavesdropping and Spies

Okay! I can _finally_ rewrite this chapter! I was sooo mad when I couldn't open this chapter up again (especially since I had written a lot and I was at the part of this chapter when it starts getting crucial-Arrgh!) Well, here's one of the chapters that people have been waiting for.

**Chapter 9: Eavesdropping and Spies**

Erika's POV

Obviously, things aren't always as they seem. Evil can be lurking around every corner and pounce out at you from the darkness if you let your guard down for even an instant. A place where you felt you were safe from all harm can turn out to cause you the most pain. People who you thought were your friends can whisper behind your back, or keep things from you and end up hurting you. Some can even turn out to have never been your friend at all…

Math was so incredibly boring and Erika was glad that Mrs. Kay had finally given them their homework assignment so that she didn't have to keep pretending to pay attention. But still, Mrs. Kay was strict and didn't think that students should be able to talk while working, so there Erika was. Just looking around the classroom to see if there was anything better to pay attention to.

Her eyes passed over Wei, who was to her left and busily working. Erika couldn't help rolling her eyes at the studious girl and looking at Phoebe who was sitting behind Wei. She was chewing on her pen cap and seemed to be pondering something seriously.

Hmm, I wonder if I should see what kind of thoughts are going through her mind. No, I won't. That's just an invasion of privacy.

Erika's deep frown stilled and her face was stony. She could tell that something was…off. For some reason, she was just not happy, a fact that her best friend, Rachel, seemed to notice.

A squared up paper landed on her desk. Startled, Erika picked it up and unfolded it to see Rachel's handwriting.

_Hey, you okay? You seem kind of tense._

Erika sighed and ran a hand through her long, dirty blonde hair before writing back and handing the paper to Rachel, being careful that nobody would see.

_No, I'm fine. Just thinking._

The paper was then passed back to Erika and a conversation had started.

_What about? It's obviously not math homework._

_Definitely not. I don't know, lots of things…hey, do you want to go somewhere after school? _

Erika watched Rachel's eyes close before she scribbled an answer back.

_I'm so sorry! I've got someplace else I need to be._

Rachel's head then turned to Phoebe and something in Erika's head seemed to click.

_With the other girls?_

_Well, yeah. Oh man Eri, I'm sorry. Hey, we can go somewhere together tomorrow, and it can be just us if you want._

Rachel truly did sound like she felt terrible about excluding Erika, but she wasn't really in the mood and she felt a little hurt nonetheless.

_Yeah, uh huh, cool. _

Erika paused as she wrote and a familiar power tugged at her brain.

She's keeping something from me, she said softly in her head. Is it possible that they have already discovered that they were Guardians? Were they having a meeting after school and that's why Rachel had said that she already had plans.

She was very slightly cheered up until another thought occurred to her.

If she was a Guardian and has her powers, would she tell me?

Erika knew that she wasn't being fair somewhere inside of her, but sensible feelings were somewhere deep in her head at the moment and she finished her sentence before passing it on.

_Hey, is there something bothering you? You know that you can tell me anything and trust me._

The answer was scribbled back so fast that a knot formed in Erika's throat as she read what Rachel had written.

_No, nothing's wrong at all. I'm fine, nothing to tell._

Heat rose to Erika's face.

Nothing. To. Tell.

She lied to me! Erika was fuming. I can feel it, she can't even look at me!

The bell rang for the next period and Erika grabbed her books and hurried off without a glance at anyone.

"Hey! Erika, wait!" Rachel yelled out in surprise.

Erika didn't stop, she went through the door and almost bumped into Onalia and Eva.

"Whoa, watch it." Eva said as Erika glanced at the two of them and walked off, very irritated. She practically ran around the corner and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. She looked around the corner and saw Phoebe and Wei walk behind Rachel as they came out of the classroom and grouped up with Ona and Eva.

"What's wrong with Erika? Is she okay, she got out of the classroom pretty fast." Phoebe said.

"She figured out that I was going to be with you guys this afternoon and I think I hurt her feelings." Rachel explained sadly.

Ha! Erika thought. That's not even the half of it. A new wave of anger washed over her.

"Well, does that still mean we're up for practice in the abandoned house?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah. Well, come on Rachel, we've got to get to English. We can catch up with Erika later." Onalia told her. "And then it's time for P.o.w.e.r. after school, right Phoebe?"

Phoebe smiled and nodded.

"We have Hay Lin to thank for that. See you guys." Phoebe waved and walked off with Wei to their next class and the girls departed. Erika stood still and silent with a heavy heart as their conversation echoed in her head.

P.o.w.e.r….

Erika had never in her life felt so completely alone.

* * *

Making sure that nobody was following her, Erika made her way into the old abandoned house. Her footsteps echoed loudly on the floor and she was conscious of every single little noise she made.

Calm down, she told herself. You are just here to make sure that the Guardians' first practice goes alright. Just hurry up and hide already before they get here and see you!

Keeping that in mind, Erika squeaked and ran out the backyard door.

Where to hide, where to hide…

Erika suddenly spotted an old willow tree and around it, a bunch of bushes.

Perfect! I'll just hide in there and quietly observe the girls.

"This isn't real Ona! You probably had a squirt gun in your hand or something. I also probably had too much punch-"

"Yeah right! Too much punch my butt! You turned into a magical being in case you don't remember, _Eva_!"

Erika gasped and jumped behind the bushes as she noticed the girls were now in plain view. Clearly, Ona and Eva were at it again.

"I have to back Eva up on this one. This is all too weird and it goes against all the rules of physics-"

"Oh, could you stop being smart for just once Wei? You have at least sort of faced the fact. I guess Miss Princess over here needs some more convincing."

"Oh shove it. I really don't have time for this. Help me Phoebe."

"What for? You know what _I'm _going to say."

"Arrgh! Rachel?"

Erika peered through the leaves and noticed that she hadn't been paying attention at all. They were no longer shouting and Erika couldn't hear what was being said.

That's okay, I don't need to hear everything, Erika concluded.

Rachel laid her hand flat in the air in front of her and blew gently. A sudden draft of visible wisps of air raced forward and soared past Eva, who spun to the side and fell to the ground. Her mouth open, she gasped at the circle of air that was now surrounding them and weaving in and out of the girls with a sense of freedom.

Erika smiled at Rachel, but then she had to remind herself that she was angry at her.

But still, it is nice to see them finally using their powers. I have been waiting so long for all of this to happen…

"Remind me again what we were wanting to do in the backyard of this abandoned house if all we were gonna do was talk?" Eva asked suddenly.

"Eva's right. We came here to practice magic so let's see what we can do!"

Phoebe closed her eyes and her hands clenched into a fist. Her hair started to flow behind her and she opened her hand. A pink light erupted out of her palm and the Heart of Candracar appeared.

"Guardians unite!" she cried.

The girls' teardrops flew to each of them and started spinning around them in a magical transformation.

Erika was in awe of their new Guardian appearances and it was apparent that her friends were too. Erika sat back and relaxed a little as she watched them talk and started practicing.

This is going to take a long time…

* * *

Erika shifted uncomfortably in the grass. As interesting as watching the Guardians perform their magical powers, she wished that she didn't have to watch through bushes and sit on the cold ground.

She let out a sigh of relief when Phoebe brought out the Heart of Candracar and changed them all back into the appearances that she was used to. Erika blinked when she realized that the Guardians had slowly ended up a closer to her hiding spot and that she could now easily hear every word they said.

"Okay, I guess you guys are right. I'd like to think that it will be easier for us to go through this because of all that we know from the W.i.t.c.h. universe, but I have the feeling that things are going to be very different."

"Yeah, we need to study, practice, and plan out what we need to do next." Wei said.

"And keep our eyes wide open." Phoebe added.

As if right on cue, Phoebe tripped and fell face forward into the grass.

"Oh my gosh! Are you alright?" Rachel cried as she raced forward to help her.

Ona and Wei started howling with laughter and Ona fell to the ground as Wei held her stomach with tears coming out of her eyes. Rachel looked back at them and gave a warning glance as Phoebe tried to sit up and laugh it off.

"Yeah, I think I need to practice on my coordination skills though. I always seem to fall down." She told them with a laugh of embarrassment.

"Yeah, you do!" Ona half-screamed. "You should have seen your face! You are talking, and walking, and then-splat. That was hilarious!"

"Oh ha ha. Very amusing." Phoebe responded with a roll of her eyes. "I guess I know who's paying for their own cone now."

Ona's eyes came together quickly with a pleading expression.

Erika couldn't help it. It had taken all of her strength not to laugh out loud when Phoebe fell, but now she softly chuckled.

"Oh Ona, why can't you keep your mouth shut." Erika whispered to herself.

"But, but I used all my money for lunch! How am I supposed to-"

"Shhh!" Phoebe suddenly whispered harshly. She was still on the ground, but turned on all fours and stared right at Erika's bushes.

"Did you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" Wei asked.

"Something, someone in the bushes just said something." Phoebe told her without lifting her gaze. Rachel and Ona looked at each other before kneeling down beside Phoebe and staring inquiringly at the bushes and Erika started to panic.

Ahhh! They're going to find me if I don't do something! Erika looked around hurriedly and she spotted what was to be her savior. Focusing all of her mind powers on the animal, she forced it to come down from the tree and it started wrestle through the bushes, just as she had willed it to.

"Maybe we ought to take a look." Ona said as she moved forward. A sudden shifting in the bushes took her by surprise and she leaped backward with fear.

"Uh oh, I think it's coming out Phoebe!" she cried.

The bush rattled some more, and then a squirrel climbed out, sniffed the air, and darted up the nearby willow tree

"I could swear I heard a voice." She whispered. Rachel nodded and then she looked in the direction her friend was looking in.

This isn't good. They are still suspicious, Erika thought. Another brilliant idea came to her and she tapped into Rachel's mind.

_They are only the voices of the wind…_

"Come on, Phoebe. Let's get out of here." Rachel said at last, walking to join the other three girls already starting up toward the house. Phoebe shook her head and blinked her eyes and then ran to catch up.

Delighted that her plan was working, Erika decided to continue giving Rachel a message.

_It's all in your head…_

_You aren't alone anymore…_

_Have trust in your friends and in your power…_

"Rachel," Erika whispered.

She slowly stood up. The girls had already gone through the backyard door and were probably heading home after such an exhausting day.

"Well, that was as good as I ever thought it could be." Erika said with an easy shrug. She wiped away all of the dirt on her pants and walked forward with purpose.

This is great! I feel so important! Too bad nobody knows about me, but hey! I can be like the mentor from behind the scenes. Sneaking around and spying and giving good advice, like I did to Rachel.

She opened the screen door and walked toward the front. She peered around and saw that the streets were deserted so she let the door close and set off on the grass toward the next street with her hands in her pockets.

A vibration in the ground shook Erika from the feet up and she gasped aloud with surprise as the roots from a tree that she had been just about to walk by sprouted out of the earth and grabbed her feet. Not a sound came out of her except for a low grunt as her feet suddenly went up behind her and her body collided with the ground.

"Aha! I knew that somebody had been listening in on us!" a familiar voice declared behind her. Erika turned her head and watched each of the five girls gasp and their eyes open in horrified shock.

"Eri-Erika?" Rachel asked. "What are you doing here?"

Oh, there was no getting out of this now.

"Mmm, nothing much. But I could ask you the same question."

Oh, the Council would kill her if they knew that she had messed up so soon.

"Oh, well we, uh…" Rachel turned pink and looked away, as if the grass below her feet was so much more interesting than looking at your best friend wrestling to get free from a tree's roots.

"Did, did you see anything?" Phoebe asked fearfully.

"Well, there's no use lying. Wei would be able to hear what I say anyway."

"Wait, excuse me?" Wei asked.

"You can read minds, you know, hear others' thoughts." Erika explained.

The girls' shock was lost in a mix of looking at Wei in amazement and being puzzled.

"How did you know that?" Wei asked as she narrowed her eyes. Erika shrugged.

There's no getting around it now…

"The same way that I knew that you five were going to be the new Guardians once Phoebe had moved here."

"What! How could you possibly have known that?" Phoebe yelled. "Who are you?"

Erika felt uncomfortable at all of these questions. And there's that weird feeling again, Erika thought as she rubbed her hand.

"Look, I don't have time to explain right here and now. We need to find someplace else-"

Erika stopped as a painful tingling in her hand came. She knew what it meant and quickly turned around to catch Phoebe, who had started to fall toward the ground.

"Hey! What's happening? Why does she keep doing that?" Eva yelled.

Erika held onto Phoebe's wrist as she blinked the dizziness away wearily.

"Some, something's here." she whispered as she stood up.

The winds changed directions as the sun disappeared over the horizon. Erika had been experiencing signs all day, but she had been too selfish in her anger that she hadn't noticed.

Trouble is brewing…

* * *

Yeeesss! I can't believe I'm finally done with this chap! I have been wanting to write this for months and now it's done. I hope you guys liked it and please review! And don't forget to keep an eye out for chapter previews for my stories on my profile! (I just changed some of the things on the P.o.w.e.r. character bios too)

Ona: Eeek! What is it? What is it!

Eva: Stop trying to rush things! Everybody will find out soon enough in the next chapter.

Wei: Yep, everything that has been in the story so far was leading up to now. Now the story really begins!

Rachel: Sit in the suspense because there's going to be plenty of it. In case you haven't noticed, Amanda here loves to end in cliffies and torture people who want the next chap

Amanda: (though the wait for this chapter wasn't intentional...and I'm still sorry about it)

Onalia: Oh! We are about to have our first fight! Then someone else finds out about us being Guardians, family and school drama reaches an all time high, Phoebe gets a new boyfriend-

Phoebe: SHUT UP! _Way_ too much info there

Ona: Man! It's like every chapter you guys tell me to shut up about something

Phoebe: Well, just like in every chapter, you talk too much!

Ona: Fine! I'll figure out how to narrate without you guys somehow (shhh! Don't tell them, I'll give you guys a preview of the next chapter later okay?)

Rachel: Well anyway, see you soon!


	12. The First Encounter

Okay. I have been put into a really good mood because of a hot chocolate and new book from Barnes and Noble today (though, sadly, there weren't any W.i.t.c.h. books.) My throat is still killing me, and I am surprised that I actually got through that chapter of Remember the Night considering I felt really sick yesterday. Anyway, my good start today has helped with my anger over having to type this whole chapter over again with nothing but a few notes to go on. I at least hope that I can make it better than it was originally (which I find hard to believe because this chapter was nearly perfect for my standards) and that some people like it.

Awesome! Here's the second of the three chaps that I planned out long ago…

**Chapter 10: The First Encounter**

Eva's POV

Eva blinked.

She felt confused, and when she got confused, things weren't going the way they were supposed to be. When things aren't as they're supposed to be, Eva just gets mad.

"WHAT, is going on here?!" she yelled in frustration.

Her breathing became faster and her many braids clicked together as she shook her head back and forth and stomped her foot on the ground in anger.

What ever happened to regular life anyway, Eva thought as she rubbed her hand against her forehead to rid herself of confusion, like it helped much. I miss the days when I was a normal girl. I was the lead singer, the one with fashion sense, the one who seemed just about perfect to any gawking eyes…and now, it seems that all of that has changed, ever since Phoebe came here, and along with her, a bunch of powers that I had never asked for…

"I don't get it," Wei said with her face in puzzlement and concern. "What's up with the weather?"

"Man! This wind is blowing me to pieces!" Ona cried as she grabbed her hair to stop flying in her face. Phoebe looked at them and then looked toward the wind and weird weather, and then back again to Erika.

"You knew, didn't you?" Phoebe said, though she practically had to yell to get through the wind

"You knew about the mirror, and me and the others…and about W.i.t.c.h. too!"

Erika just bit her lips and looked down at her feet.

"Alright, this wind is really bugging me." Onalia gripped.

Eva watched Rachel lift up her hands and then the wind blew around in another whirlwind and then subsided. Everything was strangely quiet.

"Whew! Thanks for that Rachel. Gosh, I wonder what that was all about?" said Ona.

Eva faced Erika, who sensed eyes upon her and looked up.

"So, apparently you've been lying to us about some things that you cannot come outright and tell us? Were you lying about being our friend too?"

"Eva!" Rachel exclaimed in shock. "Don't say that, of course she wasn't!"

"Then why, Rachel? How could she do this to us?" Eva asked.

"If you would just listen, then maybe you could understand." Erika pleaded.

"Well then, I'm all ears for an explanation." Eva said as she folded her arms.

Erika pursed her lips and said nothing.

Eva turned to Phoebe.

"And what is the deal with you fainting and stuff?"

"It's not her fault." Ona explained. "I think it's like the same thing that happens to Will whenever there's a portal or Meridian goon nearby."

"Or whenever danger is near." Phoebe said. "Something's coming and we need to keep our eyes open."

"Yeah, how else could that strange wind be explained?" Wei asked.

"I don't know." Eva said with a sigh. "You guys are right. Let's just get out of here-"

Eva felt a stinging pain at the side of her head as she was forced backwards and into the ground. She heard people calling her name, but she couldn't focus at the moment. She opened her blurry and watery eyes and saw the girls around her.

"What was that?" Rachel asked. "Are you alright Eva?"

Eva tried blinking the water out of her eyes and then looked behind them. She screamed and the girls looked behind them and tumbled out of the way right as a large, scaly tail hit their spots on the ground.

"He he, you know, it's so much creepier seeing him in real life than in a storybook." Phoebe said with a gulp.

Eva looked up as Wei came back to help her stand upright again. In front of them was that lizard man, the one who worked for Phobos.

"Cedric!" Ona hissed. "What is your slimy butt doing in our city?"

Cedric just hissed back.

"That is none of your business, you silly little girl."

"Suuure it's not, considering you're stalking us!" Eva yelled.

Do we really have to fight him, Eva asked herself. I mean, last time we mainly stood by and dodged attacks while the other Guardians defeated Cedric and Phobos. Since when can we fight a monster?

"I've come for one purpose, and one purpose only." Cedric said through his forked tongue. "But, getting you five out of the way would be a nice bonus. But beware because I won't underestimate you as I did to the others!"

Cedric swiped his claw toward Phoebe, who dodged his arm and stood back upright with determination.

"Fine then! Have it your way. Heart of Candracar!" Phoebe called out.

Eva stared as the glowing orb appeared from Phoebe's hand and she braced herself.

Here it comes, she thought as she closed her eyes.

She could imagine the five magical powers that derived from being Guardians circle around each of her four friends and herself. Her hair came out of her braids and sleekened in layers as her body became more muscular, her lips fuller. The long, turquoise skirt that was a part of her Guardian form swished around her legs as slender boots hung up at her caves. She felt beautiful and strong, and ready to fight!

Cedric roared and sent his tail flying at Eva and Wei.

"Watch it!" Wei cried as she dove out of the way.

"Oh, you so don't want to mess with us right now." Eva said as Ona hit Cedric with a water blast. "We were kind of in the middle of a discussion."

"Well I'm so sorry that I interrupted!" Cedric hissed. His tail finally managed to hit Rachel who was sent flying into Phoebe's arms.

"Ugh, he sure does pack a punch." Rachel moaned.

"Hey! What did you do that for, huh?" Phoebe yelled as she sent an energy blast right into Cedric's eyes. He howled and reached his arms out for her, but was blocked by Wei's fire.

"Pitiful!" he yelled as he pushed the fireball aside. Wei sneered in disgust and sent a rage of fire in all directions at him.

"Give it up girls!" Cedric laughed.

"Don't listen to him! You guys are stronger than him when you work together and connect with your powers!" Erika called out to them.

Eva looked behind her and saw Erika staring at her with her feet planted firmly on the ground.

"What?" Eva asked. "How do you-"

"Just trust me. You saw the other Guardians at work, right? You can be just as good as them, even better. I believe that." Erika said. Eva shook off her confusement and nodded and turned around to look at the battle. Rachel had taken up flight in the air and was giggling as she spun Cedric around in circles.

"Why are you here?" Phoebe asked him. The wind subsided and Cedric hissed in anger as a response.

"Fine, let's finish this!" Ona yelled. Rachel and Onalia sent their attacks together hurling toward the giant lizard man. Wei nodded at Eva and sent fire toward Cedric, who started howling in pain.

"Now, Eva!" Phoebe yelled.

"No need to tell me twice." Eva muttered. She bent down and placed her hand upon the earth and concentrated. She felt her power uplift her and the ground began to hum with her magic.

She squinted her eyes and felt the ground shake. Vines lifted from below and started to wrap around Cedric. His scaly arms were pinned to his side and he fell face forward into the ground, writhing.

"Ha! Take that!" Eva said proudly.

Hey, I think I could get the hang of this whole magic thing, Eva thought with a smile.

Cedric growled and flexed his muscles until he burst free from the vines. Eva frowned.

Uh oh, I guess I better not start congratulating myself just yet.

"Sssss! Don't underestimate me, Guardians!" Cedric hissed. His eyes moved around and he hissed again before lunging forward. It took a moment for Eva to realize his target, but when she did, it was too late.

"Ahh!" Erika cried in shock as Cedric clutched her within his tail. He moved forward, Erika swaying in his wake.

"Put me down!" Erika yelled as she banged her fists into his tail. Cedric smiled maliciously.

"Gladly, but first-"

Cedric moved Erika in front of him to face each of the Guardians' surprised faces.

"You five want answers, and it is she who owes them to you!" Cedric yelled.

"Erika, what is he talking about?" Rachel asked.

"I-" Erika started before falling silent again.

"Go ahead, girl. I think it's about time that you tell your _friends_ who you really are!"

* * *

Whew! Done with this one too. If you ask me, I'm on a typing roll! I've never had to update this many stories before. I am really glad that I have a laptop now! I can now update chapters to all of my stories once I'm done with them! Hooray!

Rachel: Uh oh, what's going on now?

Wei: I don't know, but it's something important.

Eva: Yeah, maybe we'll finally get some answers from Erika…

Phoebe: Well, we'll find out soon enough when chapter 11 comes!

Rachel: Hey, where's Ona?

Eva: No wonder it's so quiet!

Phoebe: I don't know, maybe she got tired of us telling her to shut up and decided to give up on saying goodbye to everyone.

Wei: Well it's about time! She kept telling everyone stuff from later chapters!

Rachel: Anyway, we'll see you guys in the next chapter like Phoebe said. Bye!

(Later after the four girls leave…)

Ona: Whew! They're gone. I didn't want them here as I tell you guys my plans on giving some secret info without getting yelled at. I'm a free spirit, I should be allowed to say what I want, whenever I want…anyway, I am going to hack into Amanda's account and give all the sneak peaks from her profile! And there won't be a thing that Phoebe and the others will do about it, haha! Happy New Year everybody! 2007 is gonna be great!


	13. The Hard Truth

Well, that must have been my longest cliffy ever, lol. As I said in 'Princess of Darkness', I've been really busy lately, I've had computer troubles, and have been going through some family problems (not to mention, that I had about half of this chapter typed out on my laptop before it broke ) so I'll just get on with this chap!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own W.i.t.c.h., although I DO own P.o.w.e.r. and all of the P.o.w.e.r. universe and characters

**Chapter 11: The Hard Truth**

Rachel's POV

"W-what?" Rachel gasped at Cedric's comment.

"Go on, Erika." Cedric told her as he gave her a rough shake. Erika stuttered again and kept her eyes downcast. Cedric was beside himself with glee at her blundering attempts to avoid talking.

"Erika?" Rachel said with a pleading voice. Erika looked up and stared at Rachel's soft eyes for the longest time. Rachel held her breath. Was Erika finally going to tell them what was going on?

"I have known all about you, for the longest time." Erika admitted. "Well, I should say that I knew that there would possibly be new Guardians here, although I never imagined that they would be you five."

"Wait a minute," Eva broke in. "So you actually _knew_ that all of the things that have happened over the past weeks would happen?"

Erika gave a glum nod. It was very clear to Rachel that, if given the choice, Erika wouldn't be telling them any of this at all.

"I knew that all of this would happen, eventually at least, whether it was 7 years or 20." Erika said. Cedric sneered and pushed Erika again. The snake man was clearly enjoying some private joke as he ushered Erika to get a move on in her explaining.

"Anyway, I suppose this all started with Amelia and her mirror. Amelia and the Oracle made a pact for a girl of Amelia's family line to inherit her magic mirror and the Ring of Secrets, the key to entering other worlds far in the universe, even beyond Candracar's control." Erika started, nodding at Phoebe.

"After the pact was made, Amelia rushed to send a message on that mirror of hers so that when her daughter read it, that she would understand everything."

"But, I don't understand everything." Phoebe said in confusion. Erika blinked in surprise.

"You don't? I would have thought it obvious by now."

"Cut the crap, Erika! Are you, or are you not going to finish giving us answers?" Eva bellowed.

Erika narrowed her eyes as Cedric cackled again.

"Fine then." Erika raised her hand and a small piece of paper appeared out of thin air from a deep, purple spark of magic.

"You-you have powers too?" Ona exclaimed.

"Of course I do. How else was I supposed to protect you?"

"Protect us? Why?" Wei asked. Erika gave a frustrated sigh.

"Let me get to that! And you, stop crushing my hand!" Erika said angrily to Cedric. As a response, the lizard man twisted her hand and squeezed tighter, making Erika wince in pain once more.

"R-right. T-the inscription, you already know all about the first lines and the line 'Use the ring, look, in the mirror, it takes you where you see', but you apparently don't understand the rest."

" 'Drawn to the mirror where the elements will meet their twin, but they must both pass through different worlds to find the ring within'…" Wei whispered. Erika nodded.

"During the pact that Amelia made, a glitch was caught in her plans. Two, actually. The first was that she had made it so that nobody but a blood relative could take the ring off her finger after she died. That presented a problem as she had already passed through the mirror and was in Carver Caves inside Heatherfield while all her family was in another world.

"So she and the Oracle came to an agreement. The Keeper of the Heart of Candracar at the time would be needed to help open the mirror and temporarily switch through different worlds to maintain the universal balance. That way, once Amelia's daughter ventured to Carver Caves and found the Ring, she could open the mirror and switch back with the Keeper and there would be no harm done." Erika said.

"So that's why I switched with Will," Phoebe concluded.

"And Onalia and Irma traveled with you both because, unless I'm mistaken, they were holding onto you each at the time." Erika told them. Ona and Phoebe looked at each other in realization and nodded.

"And Part Two of this totally twisted pact is?" Eva asked with her eyebrows raised. Rachel was about to nag on Eva. Erika was, after all, their friend and Eva was treating her like a lying criminal. Rachel was also upset at Eva's outbursts because Erika was under a lot of stress right now and was being held and hurt by a monster! But before Rachel could voice her well thought out opinions, Erika had started speaking again.

"God, you're so impatient! Anyway, so then Amelia was afraid that these boneheads-sorry," Erika cried out as Cedric wrenched her arm downward harshly. Rachel gasped in outrage and started to run toward her friend, but Ona held her back.

"C-Cedric and Phobos then," she gasped in more pain. "Amelia thought that they would try to get through the mirror, so she asked the Oracle for new Guardians to be appointed if evil managed to get through."

"Uh oh!" Phoebe said in horror. "I-I did it. It was an accident though. Phobos lunged for it and I just sort of…sort of…" Phoebe stuttered off as she looked helplessly at her friends. Rachel took Phoebe's hand.

"We've already told you, it's not your fault so stop worrying about it, okay?" Rachel told her. Rachel hoped to reassure her, but she wasn't sure if it did much good.

" 'But when evil crosses through the glass, then new Chosen Ones there shall be.' " Wei said more firmly this time.

"So where is your part in all of this?" Rachel asked Erika.

"Hah hah! Now this is to the part that I wanted to get to." Cedric laughed. Rachel nearly covered her ears. It was such a horrible, evil scratchy cackle. "Now, get on with it, girl."

Erika glared at Cedric. Rachel noticed that she was shaking under his firm grip and Rachel's heart ached for her.

"I had been trained to serve Candracar all my life." Erika spoke, as if from a textbook, like she had memorized her speech of her Candracar duties. "By the time I was 7, the Oracle had decided to give me a mission. He said that I needed to go to another world and watch out for this girl named Phoebe and make sure that she could safely get to the mirror.

"In the meantime, I was to watch the mirror and always know it's whereabouts until Phoebe needed it. Amelia used the remainder of her energy that she used to create the mirror, along with the Oracle, Council, and my powers, to open it up again. I went through the mirror and was told that it would be at least 7 years before I would venture through it again. I was free to act as a normal girl and have friends while staying on the lookout."

"You, you tricked us!" Wei yelled.

"No! I didn't! I am your friend and didn't mean to ever spy on you. Believe me, I didn't even know that you five were to be the new Guardians until a month ago when the Oracle summoned me back through the mirror that Phoebe had left open after leaving Candracar with you guys. He asked me to just watch over you all because he couldn't see you from Candracar. I was just as shocked as you guys were to discover the truth. Please believe me!" Erika pleaded.

Rachel smiled. It sure was a lot to take in, but all the secrets were out now. That shouldn't change anything that they had all gone through, or even their friendship.

"Of course we do!" Rachel said. "Right guys?"

"Yeah…it makes sense." Wei said slowly.

"We can't exactly not believe you." Phoebe responded sheepishly,

"It all follows through all right, right down to you being a magical but nice spy." Eva muttered.

"Looks like it's unanimous!" Ona exclaimed with a giggle. Cedric looked shocked.

"Didn't you hear what she did to you? She's been spying on you! She's been following orders from the Oracle who has put you in this mess! She has helped in a plan to manipulate you to get you to fulfill a pact that was made for you! You must be angry with her."

"Angry? Maybe…" Phoebe started. "We all might feel a little mistrusted and hurt, but that doesn't mean that we would ever hate a friend, or even let a few secrets come between us. Only someone as cold-hearted as you wouldn't be able to see that."

Cedric looked as if Phoebe had hit him with a brick for a moment, but then he gave his evil chuckle again.

"Pretty words for a small girl. Either way, it doesn't matter! Erika, that's not even the _whole_ truth, now is it?"

That was the first time today that Erika gave off not fearful regret, but confused surprise.

"What are you talking about? I told them all I know." Erika said as she narrowed her eyes at Cedric.

"Yes, you told them all that you know," Cedric started. Rachel drew back a little. There was something that wasn't very inviting in the gleam of his eyes.

"But you don't know all that much, now do you?"

"Now what is psychopathic lizard-man yakking about?" Ona asked Erika, who was still giving off a strong vibe of confusion.

"I assure you, I have absolutely no idea." Erika responded slowly.

"You will soon. And now, Erika, I think it's about time you learned which side you are on, who you truly are!" Cedric exclaimed.

Cedric moved too fast for any of the Guardians to react. He placed his thumb on her forehead and Erika gasped in surprise. A purple aura surrounded her as her mouth stayed agape and she still maintained an odd blank look on her face.

"No! Stop it! What are you doing to her?" Rachel screamed at Cedric.

"I'm showing her the truth, you little girl!" Cedric sneered.

"But what-"

"Look!" Eva cried.

Rachel turned back to Erika who had started blinking. She placed a hand on her head and moaned before lifting what looked like a suspicious eye as she glanced around at her surroundings. She noticed that she was still being held by Cedric and she wrenched his claws off of her.

"Do you want me to hurt you, Cedric? Touch me again, and I swear I will."

Rachel was just as surprised as the other girls when Cedric actually obeyed.

"It's nice to see that you're back with us, little Erika." Cedric said silkily.

"Yes…it's all coming back to me…Candracar…those fools…Father…a mirror and-"

Erika stopped as she looked at the girls for the first time.

"Guardians," she breathed as she looked into each of their eyes.

The moment that Erika's eyes locked onto hers, Rachel wished that they hadn't. It was such a shock to see Erika's once very vibrant, happy brown eyes turn so icy and hateful so suddenly.

"I see now…they thought of me as a threat!" Erika laughed. It was a high, cold laugh that Rachel didn't recognize. Rachel started shaking as the sound of this horrible new voice reverberated inside of her body from her powers over air. Every icy breath this new Erika took, her very being was flowing into Rachel like stabbing knives.

"Guys, something's wrong with Rachel." she heard Wei's voice say in concern.

"I-I'm okay." Rachel told them as she tried to compose herself. This was all so unreal…there was no possible way…

"Erika, wh-what's wrong with you?" Rachel asked with a quavering, squeaky voice.

Erika peered down at Rachel with a malevolent grin.

"Why, nothing is wrong with me, Rachel. In fact, I've never felt better. The true me is finally free!"

"Cedric's done something to her." Phoebe said. "Come on, we've got to snap her out of it!"

"A foolish attempt, girls." Cedric roared in laughter. "This is the _real_ Erika! The Erika you all knew never existed! That was a girl taken away from us and brainwashed to be good in the name of the Oracle!"

"You brainwashed _her_, you lying, big-faced piece of-"

"Enough!"

Rachel watched in horror as Erika sent a bolt of purple energy at Ona. Ona screamed as it hit her and she flew backward onto the ground.

"Ona!" Phoebe yelled as she ran to help her up.

"What'd you do that for?" Eva and Wei yelled at Erika angrily. Erika, however just laughed.

"She was getting on my nerves. Phobos and I are the only ones who can talk to Lord Cedric like that and actually get away with it."

"Come on, she won't get away with that." Eva exclaimed as Wei was there to back her up.

"No! Guys, stop it!" Rachel cried out in fear. "She doesn't know what she's doing! She-"

"Oh, I think she knows exactly what she's doing." Eva replied coldly as she glared at Erika, who was giving off that hateful smile again.

"I was torn away from my real family because those Candracar fools thought me as a threat!" Erika laughed. "I had power that I was never meant to have, so the Oracle wanted to save me, protect me by getting me as far away from my father as possible. Oh? But you five have met him perhaps? His name is Phobos."

The Guardians gasped. This was horrible…it wasn't happening…

"_Phobos_?" Ona asked in surprise. "Ugh, can you imagine Phobos…oh, I think I'm gonna throw up!"

"They tricked me and took me away from the only family I have ever known! I was taken from my life and then forced to grow up in unhappiness in that suffocating orphanage, shuffling to foster homes!"

Rachel blinked.

"Did you know that Erika was an orphan?" Phoebe whispered to her.

"No, she-she never told me." Rachel responded as tears glistened in her eyes.

"Why would I have to tell you if you never asked?" Erika told them angrily. "You were never good friends, I don't even know why I played along and even tried. You couldn't even trust me enough to tell me of your secrets! But that's all over now…"

Erika trailed off and looked down at her hands, which were growing with cackling purple energy.

"This all sounds too familiar." Phoebe stated.

"The 'Last Tear', right?" Ona replied.

Rachel shook her head as her tears were flowing freely down her cheeks.

"Erika, we are friends! Just stop all this and come back with us. None of this is true, just fight it! Fight the evil!"

"I was sent to a world that was filled with lies…" Erika said softly as she continued to stare at her powerful hands.

"Erika, please!"

"I had a life that I never wanted, all because of Candracar, and all because of you, Guardians."

"Oh no, here it comes." Phoebe mumbled through clenched teeth.

Erika's intentions were clear as soon as Phoebe spoke those words. She thrust her arms forward and the magic gave Rachel a blow that she had never experienced before. It wasn't the attack, but the meaning behind it.

"Why?" Rachel screamed at her in distress. "We are friends!"

Erika's cold, brown eyes stared into Rachel's tearful turquoise ones.

"We were."

And then Rachel watched Erika and Cedric be whisped away by magic and disappear, leaving Rachel clutching at the emptiness that was crawling into her mind.

Leaving the Guardians in the heartbreak of a broken friendship.

* * *

Hmm, not sure if it was good enough, but at least I made my point clear. It was kind of a sad thing to kick the story back off to, but also an interesting one, at least to me. Stay tuned for the next update! 


	14. Old Friend, New Enemy

Howdy! Long time no see from the P.o.w.e.r. gals! But I'm back to writing again (these girls would kill me if I didn't continue their story, hehe). Anyway, onto the 12th chapter!

**Previously on P.o.w.e.r….**

Ona: Wow, I so just heard some theatrical voice saying that…

Phoebe: Anyway, after journeying to the World of W.i.t.c.h. through a mystical mirror, I discovered that I was the owner of this magical mirror and ring to control it that was passed on from my great, great grandmother and previous Guardian, Amelia.

Wei: And Will's Heart of Candracar doubled itself so that we could become the new Guardians of our world, fulfilling the deal of Amelia and the Oracle and a prophetic inscription on the mirror (which I have, of course, memorized)

Eva: But don't forget that we have big enemies now. Phobos is planning his revenge on us for helping W.i.t.c.h. defeat him and Cedric and all sorts of monsters are crawling around in our city!

Rachel: And now even our best friend, Erika, has betrayed us! We finally learned the truth to everything that had been happening for the past few months and then that Erika was helping us from Candracar, but only to have her be turned into an enemy and go away with Cedric. This can't be real

Ona: No, what can't be real is the fact that I still have to go on a date with that nerd, Tony. HELP!

**Chapter 12: Old Friend, New Enemy**

Ona's POV

Onalia sighed and rested her head on her folded arms as she stared out the window of Rachel's room at the stormy clouds and graying skies. It had been like this for some time, hours perhaps, that the five girls sat in silence as the rain continued to pound down overhead and splash against the window glass. What were they waiting for? Some resolution, some miraculous end to their problems?

Ona drummed her fingers on the windowpane in annoyance and then looked around at all the other girls. Wei was sitting on the green rug on the floor with a grim expression on her face as she stared at her hands. Phoebe, her eyes clearly holding back frustrated tears, was silently trying to comfort Rachel, who had her head buried in Phoebe's lap and was shaking with dry sobs. Eva, who was sitting in the computer chair, had her back turned toward them and wasn't saying anything. The rain seemed to be imitating the mood in the room, but that didn't make Ona any happier about the situation.

"So…" Wei said softly. "Does this make Erika our enemy?"

Rachel hiccupped in response and Ona looked down at the floor.

"I can't believe she attacked us," Ona said in a strangled whisper. "I mean, we've known her for years."

"We _thought_ we knew her," Eva said, still with her back turned to them. "It turns out that there's a lot that we didn't know about her."

Phoebe nodded with her eyes downcast.

"So does that leave us to believe that Cedric put some sort of spell on Erika, or that she really is-"

"No!" Rachel shouted as she pulled her head up quickly. "No, this all has to be some sort of trick, a game, anything but the truth." Phoebe reached out to pull her into a hug and Wei moved onto the bed next to them.

"It's my fault!" Rachel cried. "I never once asked, I never bothered to find out about all that she's suffered!"

"Erika never wanted us to find out," Ona told her. "She was very secretive about her past."

"Yeah, whatever happened to her, she is trying to mess with our heads," Eva said thoughtfully.

Rachel got up and walked across the room with her arms folded to join Ona at the window.

"Okay, I won't cry anymore. But I still don't think that's Erika. They did something to her, I know it," Rachel whispered.

Phoebe sighed. "Well, it looks like there are more things we need answers to, and it doesn't look like we'll be getting any help on solving them."

Ona had to agree with Phoebe. It seemed that the more that happened, the more they figured out the more confusing their situation got. What was the point of magical powers if they couldn't solve all your problems for you?

"All I know is," Rachel started and then paused. "We've got to save her."

"Yeah, we've got to save her and everybody else from evil," Ona declared.

A silent agreement followed her statement and everybody fell into each of their own thoughts once more.

They knew their mission, what they were going to have to do, but Ona wondered how long it would take and ultimately, how they would even do it.

* * *

Winter Break was finally over and all the students trudged up the steps leading to the front doors of Cradd Jr. High with many yawns and thoughts of staying at home and watching T.V. But it was time once again to open books, take notes, and sit in a classroom for seven hours of learning torture (or at least that's how Ona thought of it.) It was the first time that the girls were going to school since the big drama with the W.i.t.c.h. girls and discovering their powers and it felt kind of weird to them to be studying again. 

The bell rang for the students to go inside their classrooms and start the day. Everyone went to each of their classes, their teachers already setting up their notebooks for a day full of lesson plans. Only two girls in particular were running very-

"LAAAAAATTTTEEEE!" Ona screamed as she and Phoebe raced across the front lawns of their school. Nobody was outside. How long ago had the bell rung?

"I told you to wake me up, Phoebe!" Ona cried out as they hurried up the steps into the school.

"It's not my fault! I told you that my alarm started talking to me and I freaked," Phoebe exclaimed, pushing the door open. Their sneakers squeaked along the floor as they bolted down the hallways towards their lockers.

"Hurry up Phoebe!" Ona hissed frantically. "You're going to make me even more late!"

"Go ahead without me and tell Wei and Mrs. Pattrick that I'm sorry!" Phoebe told Ona who gave a frustrated sigh and ran off.

Up the stairs, to the left, in the middle of the hallway, Ona finally came upon her English classroom. With a large gulp and plastering a sunny smile on her face, she opened the door.

* * *

"Come on, come on!" Phoebe whispered to herself in a panic as her locker finally clicked open. 

"Yes! I thought I had forgot the combination."

Gathering up her books, she shut the locker with her foot and began to run at full speed toward her class. On her way, she passed the principal who looked up at the sound of her frantic running.

"You're late, Miss Whitfield," Mr. Wilson told her.

"I know, I _know_!" Phoebe responded, not even slowing down as she rounded the corner-

SLAM!

Phoebe fell to the floor in a daze and blinked as she rubbed her head where a very large and heavy book had fallen on her. It was just her luck to have run into something when she was late to class.

"Are you alright?"

Phoebe blinked and looked up and could feel her face going red. Evan, Brandon's cousin from England whom she had met right before Al's Christmas party was staring down at her in concern.

"Hmm, you seem to have a lot of accidents," he said with a laugh as he lent Phoebe a hand. She blushed deeply and let him help her up in her dizziness.

"Sorry about that," he chuckled as he picked up the huge book which had obviously fallen on Phoebe when the two crashed into each other.

"It's okay," Phoebe responded as she rubbed her head. "Why are you in here? I thought you went to the high school?"

"Oh, well I'm a student helper for the office and library and such for a couple periods," he answered with a smile. Phoebe noticed herself blushing again as he smiled at her and decided to bend down and pick up her dropped books instead of answer. Phoebe looked up and saw that Evan was staring at her curiously with his crystal blue eyes.

"Do you like that?" he asked.

"What?" Phoebe asked in confusion as she stood upright again with her books in her hands.

"That necklace. I was wondering if you liked it."

Phoebe fingered the pretty turquoise necklace that she had gotten from her Secret Santa at the Christmas party. It had some pink and purple beads in it too and a shiny pink heart as the center jewel.

"Yes, I love-wait, does that mean you were my Secret Santa?"

"Yeah," Evan answered with another of his trademark smiles. "I didn't really know you or anything, but I thought that you might like this necklace. My cousin Brandon helped me pick it out."

"Oh?" Phoebe responded. "Well thanks. I really like it."

They stood there for a moment in silence until Evan spoke up again.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be in class or something?"

"Oh no!" Phoebe yelled in horror. "Yes, yeah I've got to go!"

She started running down the hall again when she heard Evan call her name.

"Hey, Phoebe!" he yelled. "I was wondering if you wanted to go, I don't know, out and do something on Saturday?"

Phoebe stopped in her tracks. Was he just asking her out, as in on a date? She turned to him, but didn't know what to say.

Brandon, she liked Brandon.

But why was her heart beating so fast?

Well, she could take a chance. She couldn't exactly say no to hanging out with someone just because she was waiting for her crush to ask her out.

"S-sure, yeah, okay on Saturday then," she managed to squeak. He grinned at her and waved.

"Okay, see you later then and don't get into too much trouble for being late."

Evan walked away and Phoebe stared after him with her mouth open. She felt numb with shock, but was strangely filled with happiness at the same time. It took a few seconds before she remembered that she had to get to class and finally managed to run up the stairs toward her classroom. She didn't even notice the boy she passed in a hurry.

Brandon was staring after her, dumbstruck, behind the corner.

* * *

Lol! I just had to put the corny classic "bump into each other" scene. Well I guess you'll see what comes next in the 13th chapter of P.o.w.e.r.! Review for Valentine chocolates! 


	15. Juggling Responsibilities

Yes, yes, I know it's been a _long _time since I've updated my stories. I've had so many stupid tests that I seriously think that the teachers talk to each other and figure out how to make your life the most miserable. Plus, I'm kind of graduating early (like I want to stay in High School any longer than necessary, hehe!) so I just had to take the SAT and an AP exam, so I'm beyond happy to get a chance to sit down and type my story!

Besides, cheers for procrastinating homework! Go W.i.t.c.h.!!

**Chapter 13: Juggling Responsibilities**

Wei's POV

"No way!" Ona exclaimed with her blue eyes staring at Phoebe in disbelief.

"Ona!" Eva yelled in annoyance as she grabbed a few napkins and was attempting to wipe the water off that covered the sputtering Rachel's face.

"Oops! I'm so sorry Rach. So, is it true then?"

"Is what true?" Phoebe asked as she looked down at her plate and took another bite of her sandwich.

"Don't play dumb! Another guy asked you out, and it's not Brandon!"

"I have no clue what you're talking about," Phoebe replied as she continued to gaze at her food as she steadily grew redder.

"I sense that she's not being completely honest."

"Get out of my head, Wei!"

"So is what Ona's saying true?" Eva asked with teasing curiosity. Wei watched Phoebe as she looked up at the clock. There was no need to worry. Wei knew that Phoebe was looking for an escape route from the bombarding questions, but the ending lunch bell wouldn't ring for another full ten minutes.

"Well…okay, his cousin, Evan, asked me to go somewhere on Saturday."

Wei whistled. Now this was interesting. What a fun love triangular web her friend was spinning now!

"Wow, I can't believe you accepted," Rachel breathed.

"That is, if she accepted," Eva noted.

"Well of course she did!" Ona declared, whether out of anger or excitement, Wei couldn't tell. "What I'm mad about is how it took this whole week, the day before your little mystery man date to even tell us! Heck, I had to hear about it from Samantha-"

"Don't mention that girl," Wei said, a nerve twitching in her jaw. She and Samantha had been heated academic competitors ever since Wei had moved to this city in the third grade.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," Phoebe said, pleading with Ona. "But I know that you guys have enough to think about and I didn't think it was a big deal-"

" 'Didn't think it was a big deal' she says," Onalia said faintly as she sat back down in her seat.

"Oh shut it. You're such a drama queen," Eva told her as she shook her head and rolled her eyes. "So did you say yes, Phoebe?"

"Well, yeah. I figured I couldn't always wait for Brandon, and I mean, it's not like Evan and I are dating or anything…he just asked me to hang out," Phoebe said slowly, as if she were trying to convince herself of something.

"Well good for you then!" Wei said happily. Eva looked a little troubled while Phoebe smiled and blushed and Wei chuckled.

Rachel suddenly got up, startling the other girls.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" Wei asked.

"To talk to Coach Henderson. I need to tell him that I'm better now and can still run for the team."

"Are you okay?" Phoebe asked. It would have been a stupid question if the girls didn't all understand what Rachel was going through, and Wei had to admit, she had been wondering the same thing.

"I'm good, I mean, as good as I'll ever be. I just…can't be all sad, you know? If I'm all depressed then I can't be positive and confident enough to find Erika and bring her back home, so I'll just stay on the bright side," Rachel told them with a big smile and a wave as she ran off with her gym back on her shoulder.

The other four girls looked at each other and sighed.

"That girl is something else," Eva said with a puzzled expression.

"You're telling me," Ona said. "So where are you going, Phoebe?"

"Oh, well he told me yesterday that he wanted to go to that new roller skating rink with the big café that just opened on Tuesday," Phoebe told her as she shuffled her hands.

"Well, that's perfect for you, Ona," Eva said with a grin.

"What is?"

"Oh yeah," Wei said, catching her friend's drift. "Now you and Phoebe can double date."

"Double?…What on earth are you-"

But then it hit her.

About a month ago, the night that the girls had discovered their powers as new Guardians in fact, all five of them were invited to a Christmas party on Christmas Eve. They had so much fun laughing and talking and dancing to the music with a live DJ. Eva also sang karaoke for the guests and then everybody had their present exchange as Secret Santas. Wei had somehow managed to sneak around her strict father while at the bookstore to buy Ona the newest W.i.t.c.h. book at the time and Phoebe had received a beautiful necklace from her soon-to-be date, Evan. It was during that party that Ona had had the idea to make a dare between the group of friends that whichever boy talked to them first had to be asked out.

In Ona's case, her nerdy, stalker head case guy friend had beat any other guy to the punch.

"WHAT?!"

"Whoops! That's the bell," Eva said as she jumped up and motioned for Wei to follow her to their next class. Ona was sputtering incomprehensively when they left her and Phoebe at the table.

* * *

The sun was gently lowering in the sky as Eva and Wei walked together after school. Eva seemed depressed and Wei didn't know how she was supposed to make things better for her, whatever she was upset about.

It seemed that everybody was disturbed by one thing or another at the moment. And funnily enough, none of those things were about trying to understand their freaky powers!

I guess that's one thing that I'm still a little hesitant about, Wei thought grimly to herself. I mean, I believe it and everything, but what would happen if we weren't good or strong enough to beat all of the monsters crawling around in our city?

"Hey, Wei?" Eva suddenly asked, breaking into Wei's thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"I was just kind of wondering if we're doing the right thing."

Wei stopped. "What do you mean?"

"Well, why did we really get these powers, for starters? And how can we possibly stop all of the crazy things that are happening when we can barely control our normal lives?"

"I don't know. I was thinking the same thing though," Wei responded.

"It just got me thinking. Those other girls seemed to have been born with a destiny to protect Candracar…what if we were never meant to have powers? If you think about it, if it weren't for Amelia-"

"But she did what she did, didn't she? It doesn't really change the fact that we were selected as Guardians also."

"Yeah but," Eva started slowly. Wei looked back at her curiously as they started walking again.

"If it weren't for Phoebe, those monsters wouldn't have been able to come into our city. And I don't know, it just seems that our whole destiny rides on other people's mistakes."

"You don't mean that," Wei told her sternly. "We've already assured Phoebe that it wasn't her fault."

"Yeah, it's a stupid thought, I know. But it seems to be true either way."

Wei just shrugged. She, for once, had no idea how she was supposed to respond to these statements.

"Between Phoebe and Erika…I'm just sort of confused right now, that's all," Eva said with a sigh.

"Well, just go home and do something to keep your mind off things," Wei offered.

"That's easy for you to say. I'll probably be even more depressed when I get home," Eva said, rolling her eyes.

"And why is that?" Wei asked.

"Because the semester report cards are supposed to come in the mail today."

Eva waved as they got to her street and she walked off toward her house. Wei felt as if she wasn't breathing.

"Oh no! Oh no oh no oh no," Wei whispered to herself frantically as she turned around and ran.

I am so in for it, Wei thought sadly as her house came closer. If any of my grades dropped, like I think they did, then I'm dead.

Out of all the girls in their little group of friends, Wei was well-known as the smartest of the bunch. She studied advanced classes and even managed to get A's in every single one of them. Her talent of memorization and her thirst for knowledge always led to her becoming a teacher favorite. Her friends could never understand how she always dreaded receiving test scores or report cards.

No matter how hard she tried, nothing was ever good enough for her perfectionist of a father.

Wei stopped outside her front door and bent down to catch her breath. She soon straightened back up and let her trembling hand open the door before she went into the house.

Wei looked around cautiously. So far so good. She didn't see anybody home yet, but she knew that her parents came home before school let out, so they most likely already had her report card. Her mother wasn't that bad and would always say that Wei did well, but her father…

"Did I just hear the door shut? Is that Wei?"

"Most likely, dear. Tell her that I'm making her favorite tonight."

Wei paused in the stairwell and shivered as she heard her dad's loud footsteps come closer. He finally came through the doorway and motioned for her to come to him and sit down. Wei reluctantly took a few steps backward and then walked into the sitting area.

"I received your grades in the mail," he said.

Wei just nodded and wondered how he could sound so nonchalant and so forceful at the same time.

"Why is it that your scores have dropped?"

"I-I don't know," she stuttered, forcing herself to look directly at her father's eyes. If she looked down, then he would know that she was ashamed, but she had nothing to be ashamed about.

"I am just really busy now, I guess…" Her grades weren't perfect, but they were great! Why couldn't he see that?

Her father sighed. "I see."

Wei looked away from him. It seemed so much easier to stare at the plants in the corner of the room. She shivered again and wished that she could make a roaring fire in the fireplace. Wei could feel a smile tugging at her lips as she imagined how her dad would react if she leapt out of her chair and sent sparking embers and flames into the fireplace.

"Well, it seems that if you don't have much time for studying anymore, I should help you with that so that you can do better."

"What do you mean?" Wei asked, looking at him again.

"You will come straight home after school and stay here. It probably takes enough out of your valuable time to watch your brother when we aren't here, so I think that you shouldn't take any side routes so that you can focus on your schoolwork," her father said.

Wei blinked in shock. How could her dad even _suggest_ that?

"B-but what about my friends?" Wei asked indignantly.

"It seems that they're weak study habits are having an influence on you," he said simply. "Maybe you should limit time with them to your breaks at school."

This can't be happening, Wei thought as she felt a dizzy confusion wipe her mind clean of and retorts that she wished to throw back at her father.

"Well come on, Sun. Your mother is probably almost done with dinner," he said as he stood up.

"No," Wei said.

Her father looked back around at her, bewildered. Wei was seething as she stared down at her shaking hands on her lap.

"Dad, when are you ever going to start being proud of me?" Wei whispered angrily.

"What did you say?"

"Study study study! Is that all I'm good for? Is that all I can do? I do so much, and yet you don't ever care!" Wei yelled at him as she stood up.

"Do not talk to me that way!" her father said as he held up a finger of warning.

But Wei couldn't take it any more.

"I'm sick of feeling like a puppet! When will I get to make my own choices? It's either you or them who think you've got my life all worked out!"

"Who's them?" her father asked.

Wei swayed on the spot and shook her head. Somehow, her feelings of those in Candracar had wound into her suppressed feelings of her dad.

"It doesn't matter. Why am I never good enough? No matter what I do, I'm never good enough, am I?" Wei cried as tears came tumbling down her cheeks.

My father hates me and I couldn't save Erika, Wei thought angrily. Why can't I do anything right?

Her dad had stopped trying to talk and was staring at Wei. She couldn't even tell what he was thinking as his lips tightened and he looked at her impassively.

"I am NOT giving up on my friends and my life just because you don't think I'm a good enough daughter!" Wei yelled in frustration.

What was wrong with her? She felt so torn up with the rage that she had held inside for so long. She wanted to cry over all the injustice, and yet she wanted to cry for saying all of these things that she knew she shouldn't have said to her father.

Her hands started shaking again and Wei could feel the fire burning at her fingertips.

"Ken! Wei! Dinner is ready!"

Wei glanced at her father and looked away. She knew that she couldn't stand to sit an entire family meal after what she had just said.

She suddenly had an uncontrollable urge to get away, to go as far away from people who couldn't possibly understand what she was going through. Wei spun around and ran up the stairs without even glancing at her father. She only just managed to get into her room, shut the door, and pull out her cell phone before she slid to the floor crying.

* * *

"I'm so sorry Wei!" Eva's voice came from Wei's cell phone. It had been a while now since her arguing match with her dad and Wei had finally settled down enough to call somebody and tell them about it. She had just managed to get Eva to answer the phone as she walked into her room after gymnastics practice.

"It's okay, I just hope that I didn't do something to make things worse," Wei confided in Eva.

"Don't worry. When you stand up to adults and they take some time to realize that what you're saying is the truth, they usually try to change unless they plan on you hating them forever."

"But I don't hate him, I just hate how he's making me feel," Wei told her with a sigh.

"It's the same thing," Eva stated simply. "No kid hates their parents, they just hate certain aspects of them. It feels the same way though."

"I guess," Wei said as she went to her sink and splashed cold water over her tear-streamed face. The house seemed so quiet now. She wondered what her parents were doing and whether or not they were talking about her.

"Hey, but listen. I've got a really bad feeling about this date tomorrow," Eva told her.

"Why? What happened?"

"Well, I had a really strange dream last night. It was about Phoebe. I think somebody's going to hurt her."

"Are you sure you're not being a bit paranoid? It could have been just a dream after all," Wei told her.

"Hey! I comforted you, so the least you can do is take what I'm saying seriously!"

"Okay, okay. You're right, sorry," Wei said into the phone.

"It doesn't seem like it's only a dream. It somehow feels real. I could feel the grass and trees," Eva said. "It was like they were calling me to stop something from happening."

"Alright, so you're suggesting that we spy on the double date?"

"Exactly. We need to make sure that Ona and Phoebe don't get into trouble or fall into another mirror or something."

"Got it. I'll fill Rachel in later. But what makes you think that something is going to happen on the date tomorrow? Couldn't it happen with a monster in a battle or something?" Wei asked.

"I'm sure it's not. In my dream, Phoebe was weak and crying on the floor. There was a boy in the shadows running away soon after," Eva explained.

"And whoever that boy is, I'm going to make sure I find out before Phoebe does."

* * *

Wei quickly hung up with Eva and dialed Phoebe's phone number. Even if she and Eva were planning on watching her tomorrow to make sure nothing bad happened, it wouldn't hurt to warn her or to tell her about Eva's dream.

"Hey, Wei?" came a sleepy voice on the other end.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Sorry," Phoebe yawned. "I didn't get much sleep last night so I took a nap. What's up?"

"I, uh, well I kind of…"

How was Wei supposed to say this? Sure, it sounded like a great idea when she was dialing the numbers on the phone, but what if Phoebe completely dismissed what she was about to tell her.

"What is it, Wei?"

"Oh, well Eva had this dream. She's just worried about you so be careful tomorrow okay?"

"Um, alright. I have a bad feeling from a dream too," Phoebe admitted. "I had that dream again, the one that I had right before I found out that I had the Heart of Candracar."

"Wait, wasn't Phobos in that dream?" Wei asked.

"Yeah. I don't know how and I don't know why, but I don't think that Phobos is completely gone from our lives. Besides, Cedric is sneaking around us somewhere in this city with Erika. I just wonder if our magic will be strong enough to beat whatever's coming."

Wei nodded, even if Phoebe couldn't see her. They all seemed to agree. The new Guardians had to become stronger if they were going to battle the quickly strengthening opposing forces of evil.

"Either way, we're going to have to…to…"

Wei looked at the phone in puzzlement. She could hear shuffling feet and shouting on the other end.

"Oh my god," Phoebe breathed.

"What happened? What's going on?" Wei asked in panic.

There was some more shouting, Phoebe was crying, and then the phone went dead.

* * *

Yayz! Done with this chapter! Don't forget to go take my P.o.w.e.r. personality quiz to find out if you are more like Phoebe, Onalia, Wei, Eva, or Rachel! Take the quiz at /quizzes/5570202/which-power-character-are-you . You can also view my new fan fiction website at /powergirlsunited/

Happy Memorial Day!


End file.
